I'm baaa-aaack

Well, here I sit. 1 week after returning to the States and I'm still thinking about what an incredible adventure I just had. I can't believe that I actually got on a plane, flew thousands of miles across a big Ocean and landed in the Netherlands, got picked up by a family I barely knew and then lived with them for almost a year. I mean, wow. I can't believe I actually did that. I can't believe all the wonderful things that happened in this last year either. I saw so many interesting things, and I learned so much about myself and my heritage.

I was able to live near the lively city of Amsterdam. Visit the romantic city of Paris. Meander through the busy city of London. Eat yummy chocolates in Belgium. See ancient history in Rome. See God's handiwork in Cinque Terre, Italy. See Michelangelo's craftiness in Florence. I saw the beautiful city of Venice. I walked the street's of Salzburg, Austria. And I stayed in the majestic mountains of Switzerland. I mean wow. So much in just 11 months. I can barely believe I did that. Me. Angie Mitchell. I did that. I hope that I never forget all the wonderful things I saw, the experiences I had, the delicious foods that I ate, and all the friends that I made along the way.

I feel truly blessed. I can't believe how quickly that year went by. I'm so grateful that my parents encouraged me to go on this adventure and not look back. I'm so glad that I had friends and family to support me with prayer during the difficult times, and celebrate with me during the joyful times.

I'm glad I went on this adventure and I'm already looking forward to my next adventure that waits for me in Virginia. For those of you who don't know, I will be moving near Fairfax,VA to be a nanny for 4 children. While I'm there I will also be taking an ESL course and hopefully a Spanish course as well. I really feel like these are the next steps that God has for me in this crazy adventure called life. I can't wait to see what's waiting for me in VA. And I would appreciate prayers for me and for the family as I prepare to go out there, and as they prepare for me to come. Also, if you could say a prayer for Stephanie. She is the girl that is taking my place in the Netherlands. While my time there was great, there were certainly some challenges. I'm sure she will face her fair share of them, so if you could pray for her as she prepares to fly across the pond in just a few weeks that would be great.

Thank you all so much for all your support. I feel so incredibly blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.

Wowza!

Wow. I leave in just 2 days. Where did this year go?! I remember getting on the plane in August and being so excited and so nervous. I was excited because I knew that this year was going to be amazing, but I was scared because it was a new place, new people, new experiences. But here I am, just two days before i leave with my bags packed and I'm wondering where in the world the time went? It really feels like I just got here a few weeks ago.

For this blog I decided to make a list of things I'll miss, won't miss and things I've learned...

Things I'll miss:
1) The awesome sweets! Cookies, cakes etc..

2) Riding my bike

3) My friends that I've made here

4) The open markets

5) Seeing all the families doing things together. Family is so important here and I love it

Things I won't miss:

1) The bluntness of the Dutch

2) The rainy, yucky, dark days

3) Riding my bike in the rain

4) The smell of Pot. Yuck. I still haven't gotten use to that gross smell

5) The not understanding what people are saying all the time ( Dutch is a tricky language to learn!)

Things I've learned:

1) That I can capable of going far away and surviving

2) Not to ever doubt God's goodness and his faithfulness, it's been proven to me over and over and over again this year. Why do I doubt?

3) That the world is a LOT bigger than I thought it was when I left the States. There are more things, important things, than what is covered in the U.S. news.

4) It's ok to stand up for yourself. And there is a difference between being rude and standing up for yourself.

5) It is possible to see a lot on a dime. You can travel for cheap if you really set your mind to it

I have so many memories from this year. It really has been incredible. I was reading my journal entry from the night before I left for this great adventure and I was so nervous and excited. It's like I"m reading from another lifetime. I think I've grown so much this year. This experience has changed me for the better I think. I'm so excited to see what's in store for me in VA next year. I have no idea why I'm being led to this family in VA, but I'm excited to see what's next!!!

Well guys. I better keep packing those last minute things. I also need to look for a few hostels for while I'm traveling with Josh these next few weeks. Whoo-hoo! Take care and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Oh life

So, I was just reading my previous post about how things were so uneventful.. little did I know the next week would be CRAZY! Man oh man. Most of you know what's going on, but for those who don't, here's the deal-e-o..

I have been in the process of applying for my au pair Visa since I arrived. I was denied at Christmas because my employer's work contract (from his work) was older than 3 months old (by the time the IND got to it). So, we quickly reapplied in January and 2 weeks ago I got a lovely letter from the IND saying, you are denied again, you have 28 days to get out of our country before we send the police to escort you out. WHAT? I was freaking out. I found out that I was denied once again because of this stupid contract. Seriously. The Dutch take soooo long in getting anything done. Of course it was older than 3 months if we sent it in at the beginning of January and they finally denied me in May.. helllooo? Oh the irritation. So we had the choice of starting the process all over again just so I could stay another 10 weeks or I could just leave. We decided I would just leave. Which is a blessing in disguise because now I get to travel all throughout Europe with Josh over the course of 3 weeks (true American style, see as much as you can in as little time as possible) and then I'll be headed home the beginning of July (around the 5th sometime) and then in August I will be moving to Virginia to take another job as a nanny. This wasn't quite what I pictured for myself for this next year, but I have 100% peace, the same peace that I had when I flew across the pond to come to Holland for a year. So I know this is where I am supposed to go next. The family seems so incredibly nice, I can't wait to meet them in person :o) So, if anyone is ever in the DC area, let me know and I'll come see you!
Since I will be traveling for a few weeks if anyone has any "must see" places to visit or "must eat here" restaurants or cafe's to go to.. please let me know. We will be in:

England: London
Italy: Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice
Austria: Salzburg
Switzerland: Zurich and Interlaken
France: Paris
Possibly Spain: Barcelona

Hope everyone has a great day! And I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of you in July! Yay for blessings in disguise! :o)

well...

Hey guys!

I hope you are all having a great week so far! Mine has been pretty uneventful since mom and grandma left actually. It's kind of strange not having them around all the time. I was talking to my friends about it the other day. One of them had her parents here in March and she agreed that it was harder to be the one left, than be the one leaving. Isn't that weird how that works? I left to come here and I was excited and scared. I came home for Christmas had a great time, then came back to the Nederlands and was excited to do some traveling in the spring and for mom and grandma to come. But when mom and grandma came and left.. it was just kind of strange. I'm not really sure how to describe it. But I didn't like it. I think I'd like to be the only one who leaves from now on. :o)

Speaking of leaving. I might be coming home sooner than I thought. MAYBE. Not for sure. It's just a possibility. While that is exciting to think about, it's also kind of scary. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get back. Well. For a job anyway. I know that I am going to take that blasted, awful Praxis again and cross my fingers and toes that I pass it this time, and I'll also take the classes required to get my ESL certification but other than that. Zero ideas. And to be honest, I'm starting to freak out. Which, logically kind of makes sense. I mean, I'm human. I just want to have a plan. But in my heart I know that I am being totally and completely ridiculous because God has the plan. He knows what I'll be doing when I get home. And I shouldn't fret. But dang, I wish I knew! Silly me. I know. But I'm sure you can all relate. You've all been there, or maybe you are there right now. So prayers would certainly be appreciated :o)

Also, totally unrelated.. but I still can't believe we went to the Royal Wedding. HA! I LOVE talking to people about it and when they asked if I watched it being able to say that, yes. Yes I did. I watched it in Hyde Park :o) heheh. It's so fun. The instant look of "whoa that is so cool and you automatically got 50 cool points in my book" look is amazing. I don't remember if Princess Diana's wedding was this amazing and talked about this much, maybe it's just because I live in Europe, but every lady I talk to just lights up when they talk about this wedding. It's as if Kate was one of us and she really did get her fairy tale wedding, complete with an honest to goodness Prince. Crazy. Ok. Enough girly girly. It's time for this girl to head to bed.

I hope you are all doing well! I was glad to hear that Tulip Time went well in Pella, lots of sunshine. Horray! Hugs all around!

Pictures from the trip

Here are the highlights pictures from mom and grandma's trip over here.

Peace Palace

Peace Palace

Canal Tour in Amsterdam

Queen's day in The Hauge

London

London

Hanging out with the Bobbies :)

Fountain across from Buckingham Palace

My favorite sign I saw in London.. it still makes me giggle :)

We didn't get to see the wedding up close, but we watched it on big screens in Hyde Park

West Minster Abbey, it is seriously HUGE and we only saw it from the outside...

SO excited to be in London

Mr. Ben

Pretty cool huh?

Brussels. I think this statue is in honor of the men lost in WWII

King's Palace in Brussels

Zaanse Schans

Maduradam (little Holland)

Keukenhof Gardens. Beautiful

Pretty awesome flowers, the orange ones in the middle look like palm trees

Van Gogh made out of flower petals

3 Generations

There are hundreds more pictures but these are the highlights :o)

Whew!

Well, well, well. It has been an incredibly busy and way to much fun last 10 days. Mom and grandma arrived here in the Netherlands on April 22 and hit the ground running. It was so busy.

Friday (when they got here): We went to the Keukenhof and then out for dinner

Saturday: Amsterdam. We saw the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum and the Diamond Museum. And walked, and walked and walked. I think I pretty much wore them out that day. Mom took a little nap on the train on the way back and they both slept like babies that night :o)

Sunday: We went to my church for Easter. The message was so good! Then we went to Scheveningen (the beach near the church) for lunch and then we saw Madurodam (little Holland). That exhibit was so cool! The one in Pella is nice, but this one is pretty sweet. They have all sorts of little things and when you get to the Klompen Maker part you can put a euro in the machine and this little truck brings you a pair of delft klompens. It was pretty cool. Pella really needs to do that! :o)

Monday: We drove to Marken (cute fishing town where 12 old ladies still wear their dutch outfit every day!) , Volendam (also a fishing town, but we got a little lost there so we just ate lunch and left) and Haarlem (Corrie Tenboom's house is there) so we could see some of the countryside and see some cute little towns. We also stopped at the Zaanse Schans (4 or 5 windmills in a row, they also have a Klompen Factory, Chocolate Factory and a cheese tasting area there). That evening Maarten and Maurien invited us over for a BBQ at their house. It was really nice.

Tuesday: We went to Maastricht, which is in the waaaaaaay southern part of the Netherlands. It boarders Germany and Belgium. But it is such a cute little town. I love it. Unfortunately our train was way slow and there was something wrong with the train tracks so by the time we got to Maastricht we only had about 3 hrs to look around. But mom and grandma got the general idea of it. Then we got back on the train and headed to Belgium. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast in Ardennes Belgium. Its a teeny tiny town of about 280 people. But it was very interesting because part of the Battle of the Bulge was fought here and the man who owns the B&B researches it and finds all kinds of things in the forest nearby. He has a display of bullets, needles, morphine bottles, pieces of airplanes, bomb containers, etc. It was VERY interesting to me to see all this. It really made me realize how real these battles were. I think often times we read about it, and hear about it but don't really realize that it actually went on, but being there really made me grateful and realize how real it actually was. It wasn't just a story in my history book.

Wednesday: We went to Brussles. We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time there but we hopped on a city sights tour bus. So we saw all the highlights and learned a little about it all. That is really the best way to see a city I've decided. You pay a little to save your legs and to really learn about the buildings instead of looking at a map and trying to decide which direction to go and trying to figure out what all happens in those buildings. It was cool. And of course we got our waffles and our chocolate :o)

Thursday: We went to LONDON! Yep. Thats right. Sunday night we decided we wanted to go. So we found tickets and a hotel room and flew to London on Thursday afternoon. It was super cool. We walked forever trying to get to our hotel (due to bad directions from the Bobbies, but we eventually got there. Dropped our stuff off at the hotel, went out for some supper and then headed to see Big Ben and West Minster Abbey. It was so crazy down there!! People had been camping out for a few days just so they could really see William and Kate when they came by. But it was super fun to be down there and feel the excitement.

Friday: We went to Hyde Park and sat and watched the Royal Wedding on big screens with over 100,000 other people. The park was so crowded that the police actually closed it so nobody could get in. If you left you couldn't come back in either. It was crazy! But man, it was so fun. The Brits sure do know how to party :o) It was fun being there. The energy and the excitement from everyone was so fun. And after they said " I Do" while everyone was waiting for "THE kiss" a live band started playing on the stage and they had some games to play. It was pretty fantastic. After the wedding the band came on and played Areosmiths "I don't wanna miss a thing" and they had the whole crowd singing and dancing. It was way way way fun! I was a little bummed that we didn't get to see Kate and William in person, but to be honest there is no way we could have gotten a good spot so it was just fine watching it in the park. After all that was done we walked down to Buckingham Palace and took some pictures and then headed for Trafalger Square and walked around. Then we went to see Princess Diana's memorial fountain and then headed to the hotel. It was a pretty full and fun day. I really wouldn't mind living in London. I think it is a pretty fantastic city that is really easy to get around in.

Saturday: We headed back to the Motherland and went to Koninginnedag (Queen's day). It's Holland's Tulip Time. Only they don't have parades and such. The big deal here is that everyone gets to set up tables or blankets to sell all their stuff on the sidewalk since they aren't allowed to do garage sales here. And of course they have little carnival rides and vendors on the street and stuff. But it is nothing like the Pella Tulip Time. So we went into the Mauritshuis (the museum with the "Girl with the Pearl Earings" painting) and then we went to my favorite museum, the Panorama Mesdag. This is so so cool. It is a building that has a painting that is 45 feet tall and 393 feet long. It is painted in a circular room on the walls. It is so cool guys. Seriously. Its awesome. Mom and grandma agreed :o) There are only about 37 of these left in the world. They use to be a source of entertainment before movies. People would go and see these paintings instead. At one time there were over 700 in Holland, but because of the war, and the fact that nobody visited them anymore they were destroyed. The man who works there said that there were 2 in the States. I really want to find out where they are and visit them sometime.

Sunday: We went back to Amsterdam so that we could see the Oldest English Church in the Netherlands. It was built in the 1300's and the courtyard surrounding the church use to be for Nuns. We didn't get to go to the service since we got there to late, and we didn't get to go in since it wasn't open for tours but we saw the building and read a little about it. We also wanted to go to the Anne Frank House but the like was about 3 deep and was lined up clear down the block! We tried to get tickets online but they were sold out so that was a bust. Darn it. So 2 of the 3 things we wanted to do didn't work out so we decided that no matter what we would take a canal ride. So we did. It was interesting learning about the area that we were in. I think I'll probably take at least 1 more ride before I go home in a different part of Amsterdam so I can learn even more. Then we came home and went to a Pannekoeken house for dinner with Steve and Sheila. Mom and grandma hadn't had a real dutch pancake while they were here so thats what we did. I mean really, you can't leave Holland without having a dutch pancake :o)

Monday: Well, that's today and they left this morning.

I had the best time with them. I was looking forward to it for so long and I was a little afraid that it wouldn't be all that I was expecting it to be. But it definitely was. We were so tired most of the time, but we saw so much, and had fun doing it. It was hard to say goodbye at the airport, but it helps knowing that I'll be home soon. But not before Josh comes :o)

I really hope that we get to do a trip like this again. Maybe not so far from home, and maybe not for 10 days. But I think it would be a blast to do girls weekend trips. Make memories worth repeating over and over again. :o)

I promise I'll post pictures on here. I've posted most on facebook. But right now I need a little nap before I post pictures :o) Stay tuned.

Have a great day guys. And in honor of the recent events on the news with Bin Laden.. May God continue to Bless America!

:)

My mom comes in 1 week and 1 day. YAY! I can't wait to see her and grandma!!! We are going to have so much fun. Holland won't even know what hit it when they land :o) That's really all I have to say for now. I am very much looking forward to a hug from my mommy and grandma.

You guys can pray for me these next few days. I'm flying solo with the kids. The parents are out of town for a few days and I"m on my own. I'm really looking forward to sweet time with the kids, lets pray it goes well though :o)

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Paris, je t'aime

Paris, je t'aime.. Paris, I love you. Yes I do!!

Guys,

I just spent the most wonderful weekend in Paris. Seriously. SO wonderful! I've never been before, and I think I'm in love.. Sorry to report. I'm never coming back. In August I'm moving to Paris to live forever :o) Ok. Kidding. But I can wish right? lol. 4 of my friends and I decided that a year in Europe wouldn't be complete without a trip to Paris. And thanks to an awesome birthday present that included 2 nights in a hotel in Paris we were able to for

sure go. We left Den Hauge Central Station at 5:51am Friday morning and we w

ere in Paris at 9:30 (we had about a 45 min layover in Rotterdam so it was only about 3 hrs). I've never been in an actual train. I mean, I take the normal, public transportation train all over.. But this one.. This was a train train! Nice seats, carpet, clean. It was lovely. The 4 of us (the 5th one met up a couple hrs later) were so giddy (maybe because we were tired, but mostly because we were excited) on the train. When we got off we wondered around, found a cute little cafe and ate outside in the glorious sunshine. We had a yummy croissant and a glass of wine.. (don't judge me for drinking wine so early.. you would do it to if you were in Paris!) :o) Then we found a park and layed in the grass and soaked up as much sun as possible

while playing cards. When it was time to pick Jaclyn up at the station we headed over, got her and then headed to the hotel to ditch our bags and then to the Louvre we went.

my morning treat

The Louvre

does a person describe the Louvre? Other than MASSIVE and so cool. I'm not an art person so I didn't fully appreciate the 15 acres of art.. But I did appreciate the highlights. We spent 2 hrs in there and I saw my friend Mona Lisa, my old friend Michelangelo's statues along with some other famous pieces. We even saw Napoleon's apartments from when he lived in the Louvre. Did you know it use to be a palace?! Can you imagine living in a place that big?! No wonder it took 600 years to build!! Sheeish! It was seriously so beautiful inside though. Lots and lots of intricate details all over the place. It was amazing. My favorite room was Napoleons dining room. It was so beautiful! Rich gold and maroon colors all over the place. Beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling, incredible chandeliers.. it was stunning. Outside they have mini pyramids (compared to actual ones..) and a lovely garden that you can walk through. And you can even see the Eiffel Tower from there.

The Pyramids

My friend Mona and I.. she doesn't talk much...

A somewhat famous icon in Paris...

After we were done in the Louvre we headed to see the Arc de Triumph. And along the way we were forced to walk along the Champs Elysees. Darn it anyway. I was forced to look at Dior, Channel, Mercedes, etc.. it was rough, but someone has to do it. :o) We didn't go into any really fancy famous stores, but we did pop into H&M :o) Then we grabbed some bread from a local bakery (so yummy!) and continued our walk. When we finally got to the Arc it was amazing. So big. And so cool looking. I mean really? There are about 6 lanes of traffic driving around this gigantic Arc that is incredibly detailed. Along the top there are details, on the front there are details (I'm guessing on the other side too but we didn't see that side). It really was awesome. By this time is was about 11:00 and we were all exhausted! So we headed to the metro, almost got pick pocketed, but luckily we were paying attention. (HA! Take that sleaze bag!) and then back to our nice, little, hotel room.

Arc de Triumph

Our hotel room. Oh boy. Well we stayed at the Golden Tulip and the hotel was fabulous! The staff was SO nice, and I'm sure they knew we had way to many people staying in 1 room but they didn't say a word to us. The breakfast was really yummy, and they gave us quite the spread of food. Croissants, meat, cheese, yogurt, fruit cups and the strongest. yummiest coffee I've ever had. But man. That room was TINY! lol. I was warned that the French sleep in small spaces, but geeze. I think this room was about the size of my freshman dorm room. Lol. We slept 3 to a bed and 2 on the floor. It was like a big slumber party. We had a lot of fun though I think. We even had a nice view of the hotel garden and everything. It was great. I really would recommend that hotel to anyone. Just not for 5 people to a room :o)

Our room.. I'm standing in the corner. Rachel is pretty much against the wall

Room.. I'm in the corner again...

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to see the Eiffel Tower. WHOA baby! That thing is TALL! And I don't know how a tower can be beautiful, but this one is. I mean, how is steel and brown paint pretty? But man. That tower was so pretty! We decided not to wait in the line with 300+ people just to ride the elevator up.. instead we waited in the line that took about 10 min to get through and walked up all 702 steps to the 2nd level. (yes, I was about just dying by the time we got there) But the view was incredible. The visibility wasn't so good, which is why the pictures look foggy.. but it was still nice for what I saw. We took the elevator the rest of the way up, since you can't walk and lets be honest.. I think even if I could have walked I would have ridden up anyway. Haha. When we got clear up to the very top.. wow. Thats all I can say. The view was... incredible for lack of a better word. You could see so much, and it was just.. awesome. I'll leave it at that. If you've ever been to the top you know what I mean.. if you haven't.. you should go! :o) When we got back to the bottom we took about 50 pictures of the tower and then headed to Notre Dame.

From the Top

How can 1 city have so many beautiful things? It just doesn't seem fair. Notre Dame is an extremely old and beautiful cathedral. It has a giant rose, stained glass window, flying buttresses, and more detail on 1 building than I have ever seen anywhere else. It was astounding! I just sat and stared at it for.. I don't even know how long. I was so in awe by the beauty of it. And then I walked inside and was shocked again. The ceilings were SO tall, the stained glass is so beautiful. The organ.. was.. wow. Just wow. And the garden behind it is so pretty and peaceful as well. I understand why that church needs to hold 6,000 people in it. I bet it's quite full throughout the year on Sundays.. maybe not 6,000 full.. but I bet there are loads of people who go there. Even if it isn't for church, there are gobs of people who go there just to see it! When we had our fill of the church and after taking lots of pictures of it we headed to see Montmartre/ Sacre Coeur.

Notre Dame

So big. So beautiful

The area that holds the largest hill in the city is a very artsy area. It honestly looked more Greek than French to me, but what do I know. Rachel, Jaclyn and I headed up to Montmartre (which means hill of Martyrs). It is believed to be near the execution site of early Christians at the hands of the Romans.. This hill hosts a beautiful old church called Sacre Coeur. We had to climb up a semi steep hill to get to the top, but the view was worth it. Even on the cloudy day that it was you could see Notre Dame and the Arc de Triumph. Apparently you can also see the Louvre but I didn't see it because it started to pour down rain so we ran to seek shelter in a cafe. The church was beautiful though. We didn't go inside, but the outside was pretty. Once it finally quit raining we headed down to see the Moulin Rouge.

The view from Montmartre..

Sacre Coeur

I don't have much to say about the Moulin Rouge other than, I saw it. It was cool. I got my picture taken in front of it and then we left. Haha. I'm sure it would have been more interesting if we would have paid to see a show, but we just saw the building and took some pictures and headed to find something to eat! All that waking makes you so hungry! Good thing we were staying in a city with the best bread and pastries around :o) After dinner 2 of the girls went out to meet up with another friend and the other 3 of us went back to do some shopping.. Well..more like looking... after about 2 hrs of not buying anything we headed back and called it a night. All that walking around really wears you out!

(left to right) Jaclyn, Me, Rachel

Artsy Moulin Rouge Mural

Sunday morning we checked out dropped our luggage off at the train station went back to Notre Dame to take a couple more pictures and get some souvenirs and then we took a little boat ride down the Seine river. I highly recommend doing that as well! It was so nice to see the city from a different view and we were able to learn something about all the major buildings along the river. It was a lot of fun. Then it was time to go...

At the end our of little cruise. Rachel P, Rachel G, me, Jaclyn (Niki went off on her own)

So. The boat tour was done at 1:30.. our train left at 2:25... we were about 30 min from the train station by metro. So we walked quickly to the metro hopped on the metro and got to the station at about 2:10... we ran like the wind to get our bags, and then ran clear down the tracks to get into our car on the train.. They don't let you just hop into car 10 if you are in car 15.. no no no they make you walk alllll the way down to car 15 to get in.. We made it from the metro to our train in about 12 min.. that may not sound like much to you.. but if you've ever been in that train station.. you know that we should have received some sort of medal for that accomplishment :o)

So. Here I sit. Back in the Netherlands. Back to reality. The weekend was absolutely amazing. I loved it. It was such a fun thing to do and I am so glad that I got to go and experience it!!

Spring has sprung!

SPRING IS HERE!!!!! (i hope) There are beautiful flowers blooming all over the place. It's amazing guys. So so beautiful. The trees are starting to bud, the sun has shone for.. are you ready for this.... 5 days in a row!! That's gotta be some kind of record around here! :o) And today reached 54. It was amazing. Beautiful beautiful weather. It really makes me want to ditch all the winter clothes, but I know better than to do that. I am so ready for spring though. Man oh man. The warm weather, the flowers, the long bike rides through the forest. Heck, I may even get lost in the woods while trying to find the Queen's palace one day. (Don't worry mom, I'll take my map) I'm really really glad spring is here. I was really starting to get the case of wintertime blues. The tanning bed wasn't even helping.

Not much has been going on over here that is note worthy. We had a massive amount of flu going around over here and the entire family, including myself, had it for a few days. Luckily that is over and done with. Now I am very much looking forward to Paris in 2 weeks!! Whoop! Well guys, honestly there isn't much to write about. Although, Max and Maurien did say a couple funny things.. I think that's how I'll close...

Maurien: So, you have to be engaged before you get married?

(maybe she didn't know the English word for engaged.. I got a good chuckle out of it, in my head of course)

Max: I know why that man is the richest man in the world!!!

Me: Why is that Max?

Max: Because he has a boat with a crew and everything!!

:o)

HOSANNA! I pray that during these next few weeks you will remember what our sweet, loving, jealous, just, humble Lord did for us. I always feel humbled around this time of year as I remember that He is more than just a babe in a manger, He was a person just like me and He took all my sins that He knew I would commit to that heavy, wooden, blood stained cross.

Lord, help me to never forget that precious gift.

Intersting..

My friend Jordan and his wife are living in Africa for the time being. They are with an organization called goEd (i think) I don't know much about it, but I really enjoy hearing about their experiences. Here is just one that I thought was very unique and it broke my heart a little.

Washing my hands 3 times, feet three times, legs, arms, face, nose, and hair three times I prepared to walk into a Muslim mosque. Stop. I know what you are thinking... one of two things: 1) Why in the world would you, a Christian, go into an 'evil' place like a Muslim mosque., or 2) you may be judging, as I first judged some of our students when they first came back and told me about their experience of going. How could you do that? My answer is LOVE.

I know that you don't have to go to 'dangerous' places to show Love. I also know that everyone shares Love in different ways. One thing I do know is that sometimes love means stepping outside of our comfort zone to look into the lives of others. I am sharing this to say, Muslims are actually really great people with beautiful hearts, capable of incredible friendships and providing 'out of this world' hospitality to their neighbors. It is their faith which is wrong. They are just ordinary, everyday people. Not all terrorist. Not all evil.

It was Friday morning, February 25, 2011 @ 5am in the morning. First Muslim Mosque of the day. I went with two students to experience just a hint of what it means to be Muslim. Muslims meet for prayer 5 times a day. They are very dedicated to their faith. We met up with a friend, named Josef, that the students had made, he walked us through the cleansing process (washing the body) before entering into the Mosque. Without shoes, and as our feet, hands, legs, arms, and face all air dried we walked slowly without noise into a room with columns and large rugs covering the floor. Immediately we found our spots for prayer and began to follow Josef as he stood, knelt, and lay prostrate before their God. Although our motions were identical or close to identical with the Muslims in the room, our prayers were different. I prayed that God would use this experience to teach me, to give me a hint of the bondage they were in, to give me a larger heart for the Muslims and to open doors for ministry with Muslims.

We spent about 6-7 minutes in prayer then we all walked to the front and entered into prayer again with the Imam (the Mosque leader). After about 5 minutes we sat on our bottoms as the Imam began to speak in arabic and translating into Lugandan (the common language in the area). We sat for about 20 minutes with no translation. Our friend Josef handed us two books. One was Islamic Cures (which had all the remedy prayers to cure anything) and the other one was a Muslim prayer book. I read through the prayer book and began to tune out the words of the Imam. Not that I could understand anyways. The prayer book had many prayers pleading for Alla "god" to see them pure, praying for god to not look down on them as ignorant, then in the parentheses, (as you look down on the Jews and Christians). This sort of slander toward the Jews and Christian was carried throughout many of the prayers I read. As Christians, we shouldn't get mad about this but recognize how drilled into Islamic beliefs it is to NOT be like the Christians.

The Imam finished, and then asked us three to come sit with him--he knew English. Many others in the Mosque came and sat around us to listen in. At this point he did not know our faith. He shared with us the ignorance of the Christians. How they can just laugh about how shallow Christian thoughts are. He shared the same stories we learned in Sunday school. He told us about Adam and Eve, about Mary and Joseph. He told us about how God and Marie had a son together. His name was Jesus. Then from that point doctrine and scriptures began to branch out and diversify. He told us that Jesus was JUST a prophet, still JUST human. He told us that Christians worship Jesus because He didn't have a father. Because God was his only father, but then he said--Adam also did not have a father. God was his only father and nobody worships him. This was an argument that I never heard before, but I remembered that Jesus was pure from conception to death and though resurrection. I remembered the need for one living and pure sacrifice for sin. Again I was hit with the fact that Muslims preach against Christians in a way that devalues our Faith. Then I thought, no wonder why it is so difficult for a Muslim to come to know Christ. It is a religion that binds people. Literally laughing at other religions, making them seem inadequate. When this happens you don't even need to put bars around their faith, they enjoy their unknowing imprisonment. And in fact, in Muslim religion it is considered a sin to ask hard questions about God. Question that could cause a Muslim to stumble, or fall out of faith are recognized as sin. Humans needn't worry about such matters. Again they wont even ask the hard question that would lead them to Christianity because they fear they will be cast into hell.

It wasn't but a few minutes that they told us that we could become Muslim and join them in their faith, they went around and asked us individually and aloud if we would. I said "I can't" that was followed by the two students repeating "I can't". The Imam repeated the question then asked, "why can't you?" I replied I believe in Jesus Christ.

in Conclusion, or my attempt to keeping this somewhat short, this experienced opened my eyes and heart to the bondage that Muslims are in, it gave me a deeper understanding of the Muslim minds, and it helped me to recognize Muslims as human, not just terrorist as so heavily believed in the United States. All of this to say that the most important things Christians can do is to know our Bible, to study it daily, to pray, and most importantly to Love. Love is the most crucial proof of our Faith. The world needs Christ. The world needs LOVE.

It makes me so sad that these people are living in bondage like that. In Holland there are many Muslims. And while I don't think badly of them, I unconsciously judge them. I have a little bit of hatred toward them for what they did to my country. And to be honest, I'm a little leery when I'm around one. Because now my brain has a prejudice against them, and it automatically thinks that they are all bad. I know this is ridiculous because not all Muslims are bad. Just like not all teenage girls get pregnant. But sometimes I just can't help it. And it is not something I'm proud of. But after reading Jordan's blog, I honestly feel nothing but pity and sadness for them. They are literally being brainwashed, and they don't even know it. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to love and be loved a loving God. To be saved by a merciful God. And to be held in the arms of a compassionate God.

Quiet???

So it's nearly 10am on a Saturday morning here in Wassenaar. (in case you want to know how to pronounce it you say Vas-naar) anyway. The family has left for a fun filled ski trip and left me with the dog. I have no plans for the next several days that they are away. Its going to be grand. I kicked off my weekend with a lovely bath. Now, for most of you that might not be a big deal, but for me.. that is bliss. They have 2 bathtubs in the house but 1 is in the parents bathroom and the other is in the kids bathroom so neither are good for me to use. Instead I take a shower in my bathroom with no shower door. Seriously. No shower door. Its so funny! My showerhead is attached to the wall across from my mirror in the bathroom. It cracks me up. If I were a man this would be optimal for shaving my face, but since I don't shave my face it works nicely when removing makeup in the shower. Lol. Anyway, back to the bath. It was lovely. And in honor of "National Wine Day" yesterday I uncorked a bottle of red wine and had a glass while watching Everybody Loves Raymond. I would call my 1st day a great success. Perhaps today I will whip up a batch of Chocolate Chip cookies with my last bag of chocolate chips.. mmmmm yes... That does sound good. Later this week I plan on taking a trip to Rotterdam. I hear its pretty cool. Apparently there are a lot of boats that go in and out of there so if nothing else, it will be neat to look at the boats. Also I plan on going to one of the biggest open air markets in Europe. Guess where it is? Right here in the Hauge!!! I had no idea it was so close! I literally live about 30 min biking distance. I'm pretty excited. You may laugh at me, but honestly I love love love the markets here. You can get so much for so cheap! One of my favorite things to do is go somewhere on a Saturday (b/c that is when most towns have their market) wander around the town and then poke around the tents at the market and get some fresh fruit or veggies or something to eat. I haven't been brave enough to get the fish just yet.. and maybe I never will be.. I think I'll save the fish to get at the meat store and cook it at home.

Also this week I'm hopefully getting my train ticket to go to PARIS!!!! Whooo-hoooo!!!!! I'm seriously so so soooo excited about going next month!!! I have these visions off seeing the Eiffel tower and the Louvre and all the painters on the sidewalks and then sitting at an outdoor cafe drinking some French wine. I know its silly, but dang I hope the weather is nice so I can have a fantastic Paris experience! :o)

Well, this blog is kind of meaningless, it was more of a "I'm bored and I'm putting off cleaning my room so I'll post a blog" kind of blog... hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Weekend Everybody!

cool conversation

I had the most intersting conversation tonight with Maarten's step mom. Pien has to do a report on the bombing of Rotterdam (which I had no idea about) so she asked her grandpa if he had any stories from when that happened. So while he is telling her all about that Linda ( his wife) starts telling me what it was like for her during WWII. SO intersting!! She starts telling me about how when the air raid siren went off she and her mom would tip the couch over and hide under it since they didn't have a bomb shelter, in fact she was living in 4 different towns that got bombed during the course of the war. Can you imagine?? You leave to get away from it and then get bombed again. What a shame. Anyway, so she was telling me about being stuck at a train station because the siren went off again and the trains stopped running and how she and her parents had to walk several miles back to a relative's house that they were visiting. And how she would see German and American soldiers on a regular basis. And after they moved to the next area she and her friend would walk through the fields were the soldiers were and they would see where the trenches were and where the tents were and they would find pieces of shrapnel on the ground but they weren't allowed to touch anything they just had to walk past it all. I mean.. it was so so interesting talking to this lady and hearing her first hand experiences. Sure I read about the war in my history text books and yes I've seen the "Band of Brothers" HBO specials, but to hear a real life experience from the other side of the world where the war was actually taking place. Guys, it was truly remarkable. It made me so hungry to learn more about this area's history. The family is going to France for 10 days to ski and I think that while they are gone I might just take a few little history day trips. I mean, I am living in an area where there is so much history. Gosh. I still can't believe that conversation. Seeing her remember those memories and being so willing to share them, it was a precious gem. Certainly an added blessing to my day!

Thankful

I think God is trying to teach me to be thankful for the small gestures of kindness. And I think that I'm FINALLY picking up on this lesson. Maybe it's because I've struggled for a few months and I'm sick of it and I'm just looking for the good and choosing to be grateful or maybe it's because more gestures are being made. Regardless I'm extremely grateful for small gestures of kindness. Maybe it comes in a quick "thank you" or it comes in a nice random text message or maybe it comes from an appreciative look. Whatever form it comes in, I'm really learning to be grateful for those precious moments. I'm learning that it doesn't have to be a huge display of appreciation or a big horray, I think you are great. Kindness comes in all shapes and sizes. Well anyway. Just wanted to share my "ah-ha" moment. I know it's lame. But I'm a person who craves praise for a job well done. And I don't always get it. But lately, God is showing me that I should just shut up and be grateful for the little praises and realize that my worth is not in human praise. Really, as long as I do what He wants who cares what anyone else wants. So AH-HA! That is my moment :o)

Also, as a side note. This weekend I hung out with 2 little American boys. Super cute little boys by the way! :o) Anyway, the phone rang a few times while we were hanging out and it was American people calling and we watched English movies and played American games, ate mac and cheese, made yummy cookies and then then the parents got home so we were talking and for a brief moment I forgot I was in Holland. Surrounded by all this Americaness I truly forgot that I was somewhere else. It was kind of funny actually. And then I got on my bike and rode in the crazy wind. That's when I realized, oh ya.. I'm DEFIANTLY not in the states. Lol. Well guys. I'm going to take a little nap before the Super Bowl starts. Yes, I'm going to get up and watch it until at least 1/2 time. I mean, why not. I have access to a huge tv with ESPN America, I might as well right? Oh and I also have access to Slingplayer which allows me to race to the computer during the commercials and watch all the good commercials.. thank goodness for family that lives nearby! I can have all the American comforts less than 2 miles from where I live :o)

long time no talk

Hey guys!

Well, I realized that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Mostly because there really isn't much to post about. I've just been doing my daily routines and hanging out with the girls on the weekends. I went to Amsterdam on Sunday because it was fashion week last week and Sunday was the last day. So Rachel and I decided to see if there was anything cool going on up there. We saw about a million people, but not much else. It was a good weekend for the "coffee shops" though. Every single one that we passed was full. It kind of made me laugh, however by the time we left I did have quite the headache, and we didn't even go into any of them. Yuck.

Yesterday I went to A'dam again to meet up with a friend. Actually, he's Josh's friend. But hes in town for a business convention and asked me if I'd show him around. So I did. All the back streets and side streets of A'dam on the way to the Van Gogh museum. I really just wanted him to have the "Scenic tour" :o) Next time I'll bring a map with all the street names on it and try and stay in the center part all the way to the museum. haha. oh well. It made for good laughs and I'm sure he'll go back and tell Josh to never go anywhere with me unless I have a really good map :o)

Things have been pretty good here with the family. We've had a good last couple of weeks. Only one hick-up so I'm grateful for that. Pien has her big test this week. Poor girl. This test determines what middle school she gets into, which determines what high school she gets into, which ultimately is a deciding factor for what college she goes to. But no pressure right? I sure hope she does well!!

Well guys. Not much else new. You can pray that my Visa situation gets worked out. Apparently they were missing some paperwork so it got denied. But we are trying to get it worked out. Hopefully I don't get deported in the meantime! Although, it would make for a good story later. :o)

Have a great rest of your week!!

Hokey Pete!!

Ummm excuse me... Does anyone else realize that we are 1/2 way though January already... WHAT!?! Also. Does anyone realize how fast the rest of this year (till august) is going to go.. Well, probably not. But I DO! Oh my heavens! Tonight I was eating dinner with the kids (just us Maarten is gone on business and Maurien is out with friends), which can I say was so fun! Anyway. Pien asked me what I was going to do the rest of the year. Was I going skiing with them, was I going to take summer holiday with them etc.. (which made me feel very loved I might add) but I told her I wasn't sure because I have so many things that I still want to see and do. So she asks me what they are and when I'm going to do them. So I start telling her.. Folks.. this is the next 7 months of my life..

Feb: Plans every weekend. 2 weekends hanging out with Sheila's dog and cats while they are away. 2 weekends hanging out with Bumpy (more excited about Sheila's dog than bumpy but thats ok)

March: Possible Paris or England (p.s. I can fly to England for 50 euro!!!)

April: MOM COMES with Grandma! (we hope. Just add that to your prayer list ok? Thanks) Also Queens day. (A.K.A. Tulip time)

May: Mom and grandma leave. Bike trip to N. Holland and possibly England or Paris (whatever one we didn't do in March)

June: JOSH COMES!!! yayay!! Along with a few weekend trips to meet up with him wherever he is. Hopefully Italy is in the plans..

July: Possibly Normandy, along with a concentration camp. depressing, but I feel like it's something i need to see.

August: Come home.

Oh my gosh. Can you believe it?! I feel like the time is going to get away from me! I also feel like I'm going to travel like crazy and come back with a HUGE travel bug. You know, the one you get once you've been somewhere and then you feel the need to keep traveling. It's an expensive bug, but I think I'm already catching it.. the symptoms are starting to come on.. Constantly looking at airfare and train prices. Looking at hostels. Looking at possible weekends. Feeling like I need to go somewhere all the time. Yep.. I think I've got it. Uh-oh.. Lord.. I sure hope your plans include lots of traveling for me....

I seriously can't believe it. The weather is going to start getting nicer ( i hope. This staying dark till 9 and getting dark at 4:30 and rain everyday is getting really old). And nice weather means funner bike rides. And spring clothes. *sigh* I can't wait.

Prayer request:

1)that God would give me crystal clear direction as to what I need to do when I get back in August.

2) Josh starts his med school classes Monday. Ick ick ick! Pray for him he'll need it!

3) This one is probably the most important.. That God would show me how to really love on this family. And that they would really really see Him in me. That even when I'm super homesick and I just think I can't make it another day that God would show me the good in what I'm doing here, and what HE is doing in me.

Thanks guys! You are the best! Also.. just throwing this out there..I love mail. Just sayin'. If the mood should strike you to send a card to someone.. I would happily volunteer for the card receiver position :o) Heck, you could even use an old wal-mart receipt and write "Hi! How you doin'" on the back of it.. You know, going green or something, then you wouldn't have to throw away a perfectly good piece of receipt paper :o)

Oh.. you need my address? I'll happily supply it :o)

Angie Mitchell (but you already knew that)

Wittenburgerweg 178
2244CJ Wassenaar
The Netherlands

Back again

Hello everyone!

Well, I'm back in the Netherlands after a blissful 3 weeks at home. The time flew by WAY to fast for me. But it's like my dad said. It's better to leave while you are still sad to go, rather than counting the days until you get to go back. I think that is true.

The flight was pretty uneventful. Which was nice. I sat next to a German woman who looked like she could be my mom's sister. It was kind of funny. She was nice. And for the 1st time ever I was actually able to sleep on the flight! It could have something to do with the fact that I woke up at 4:15 on Friday so I could tell my dad goodbye so I didn't get much sleep and then walking around the airport for 4 hrs.. I guess I was just plain exhausted. So I slept for almost 3 hrs and read my book the rest of the time. It was nice. When I landed I was greeted with rain and wind. Good to know the Netherlands didn't decide to change weather patterns while I was gone. I don't know what I would have done if it had been sunny and 70. hah! Sheila picked me up from the airport since Maurien couldn't. That way I didn't have to take a taxi back after traveling for 14 hrs. I thought that was really nice. There is just something about seeing a friendly face after traveling that makes everything well and good. When I got home nobody was home and the house was locked up. Luckily Pien showed up about the same time and she had a cell phone to call Maurien to see when she would be home. And lucky for us the rain held off until Maurien got home.

I just got my stuff in the door when Maurien asked why I didn't bring my key with me to unlock the door. What I wanted to say was... well.. maybe I shouldn't say it.. but instead I said, well I thought I did, it must be in my suitcase somewhere. Then I headed upstairs to clean up my room because she said it was really dirty and then she told me that I had a few days worth of ironing to do starting Monday and that we would be sitting down and reworking my schedule on Monday. Whatever that means. Welcome back huh? Oh well. I'm probably more touchy due to jet lag and already missing home and Josh. Hopefully a good night's rest will make for a much better day tomorrow and by Monday hopefully I'll be all rested up and I really hope God places a guard over my mouth and gives me a spirit of gentleness and understanding and of servanthood before Monday morning as well.

But to end this on a happy note. The kids were all glad to see me and share their stories about Brazil. Pien hasn't left my side for more than 5 min since I got here. I'm so glad to see the kids again! I sure missed them!!

Prayers would be much appreciated over the next few days. Thanks guys! It was so great to see you all over Christmas!

Looking back at 2010

Can you guys believe it's 2011 already? That's just CRAZY and really weird to write/type as well... I don't know how many of you have facebook but if you do you should really go to the "my year in status" link you can find it on my mom's page and make your collage. It's pretty cool to see. What facebook does is, they take a bunch of your status updates from the year and you choose what ones you want to put in your collage. It's kind of fun to look through all those old status' and see what you wrote at that time. My last one from 2009 said something like "2009 held so many blessings I can't wait to see what 2010 holds" and man oh man it held ALOT!!! For starters, here are some highlights..

~ I graduated college mostly debt free with a degree in Elementary Studies

~ I got turned down for a whole lot of jobs just so that God could direct me to Holland

~ I moved to Holland and have had a whole lot of adventures since then

~ Our family welcomed Cameron Reid Mitchell into our family as an official Mitchell member FOR LIFE!

Those are just 4 highlights. There are about a million more. I can't believe the amount of goodness that God saw fit to heap upon me in 2010. And I just can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for me. I mean, I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I'd be living in Wassenaar, Holland. Ever. Never Ever Ever. I get really excited when I think about what God is going to do this year. I don't know if it involves finding a cool job in the States, or finding a cool job in another country, but whatever it is.. I just can't wait.

I hope you all have a very very Happy and Blessed New Year!