WOW, I just looked at the last time I updated this blog and it was almost a year ago. I'm not going to go over the entire past year, but just the important highlights.
FIRST.....
The Kelly Family has moved back to Europe. Many of you know Paul and I started our marriage with a 3 year adventure living in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Our first son, Brandon, was born there and than we moved back to Virginia in 2010. Well August 2014 we moved to Antwerp, Belgium. It is a beautiful country, and a big plus for Paul and I is that we already speak the language, Dutch. Who would have thought out of all the locations we could move to, we would be just 1 hour away from our old home in Rotterdam.
We began our move to Belgium way before we actually stepped foot on Belgian soil. We had a lot of paper work to take care of in America (birth certificate, passports, marriage licenses, and getting tons of copies of health reports for the kids). Before the moved the boys each had big procedures done, Brandon had to go under anesthesia to remove 3 cavities and seal is baby teeth (he got these cavities when he was just 1, all my fault, I gave him milk in a sippy cup at bedtime) Peter had the bigger procedure, he was finally big enough to have an adult stent placed in his left pulmonary artery. We held our breath for hours while each of them had these done. Both had great results, Brandon has no more cavities and the dentist even shaved his chipped tooth and Peter's procedure was everything we could wish for, my hope was to not have to visit the hospital for Peter's heart while we live in Belgium and that wish has come true, this kid has overcome so much in just 3 years.
On top of the kids procedures we sold our house in Virginia, we were under contract in 20 days (longest 20 days of my life), and our first offer on the house came on my Birthday, it was the best present I could ask for. 2 more offers came, some bidding wars went off and in the end Paul and I were very pleased with sale and that the house was not something we'd have to worry about while living in Belgium.
Our first month in Belgium we lived in a hotel in the City Center across the street from Antwerp Central Station and the Zoo. Thinking back to that month it was very tough living in a cramped studio bedroom style room. Every night that I would try to cook on the cooktop (aka boil water or cook chicken) I would set the hotel smoke alarms off. Our last night in the hotel staff came upstairs and asked me to please stop cooking and that they would cook our meals in their kitchen, one would have wished they came night number 2 and not number 22. I hated cooking in the kitchen.
Our first week in Belgium we found the car we wanted to buy, signed a lease to an amazing house, and bought a year family membership to the Antwerp Zoo, which we took complete advantage of while living right next to it. This zoo is small, but oh boy they have the coolest playground for the children. We could not get the kids off it whenever we visited.
August 18 our shipping container was delivered to our new house and "moving in" began. lets be honest it's been nearly 3 months and we are still moving in. The house we are renting is on a beautiful street that is filled with many other expat families. I love this house, the garden, the heated swimming pool, and neighborhood.
Just a couple days after moving Brandon and Peter started school at Antwerp International School, on Peter's 3rd birthday, he was treated like a KING on his first day. Brandon is in Pre-Kindergarden and Peter is in Preschool. Both go to school full day 5 days a week. Brandon just loves school, going full time being around older kids, (the boys classes play with the kindergarden and 1st graders on the playground) is exactly what Brandon loves. Besides the first day of school where Peter was given a birthday crown and ate cake, it took a couple extra weeks to transition, he enjoys being home more than being at school, but 1 month into school he finally made a friend and now loves school. AIS really instills independence in the children. 2 weeks into school the teachers did not want me walking the boys into the school anymore, instead I was to drop them off at the kiss & ride. The boys are now escorted into the building by 4th grade safety patrol buddies. It truly is a wonderful place for the boys, I feel so blessed that they will get a wonderful education these next 3 1/2 years.
The month of September flashed before my eyes. Between carting the children to and from school I rehearse and practice my opera arias at home. I auditioned for my first opera in nearly 5 years. The audition was in Amsterdam, Netherlands with Hojotoho Opera Studio for Ariade auf Naxos by Strauss. I have accepted the role of Ariadne, performances will be in 2015. I will continue voice lessons in Amsterdam bi-weekly with the one and only Wiebke Goetjes. I plan to take advantage of any performance opportunity possible in the next 4 years. I'm a very lucky lady to be able to perform for the next 4 years with wonderful colleagues.
Instead of purchasing a second car, Paul has decided to bike to work daily and year round. The weather is starting to turn colder and rainier and he hasn't complained once about riding. He is getting a good workout every morning and evening. The ride is 1 hour to work and the same back.
The month of October the boys and I went to New York for family weddings, baptisms, and a couple other parties, we even squeezed in a trip to Virginia to visit friends and have well check doctor visits.
This is our first week back and it's been tough with the jet-lag. I had the kids to to school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But yesterday Brandon got a bit of food poisoning so I kept both boys home, Peter was so tired, and I didn't want to risk B throwing up in my new car (that smell would never come out). Can you believe that we are still unpacking too. I'm hoping to be completely done before I put up Christmas decorations. One of the big things left is to hang curtains and picture. We must wait for the handyman to hang the curtain rod and frames because the owner of the house has asked we have professional do it because the walls are concrete and in the past someone drilled into the wall and hit a pipe (YIKES)
We are all very excited for the coming weeks. Thanksgiving, Christmas Markets, SinterKlaus, Visiting USA for Christmas, visiting with friends, and possibly a New Years trip to London :-)
Feeling very thankful for this wonderful journey we've started. I promise I will try to write smaller blog posts. I thought a big update would be first than I go back to littler ones.
xoxo Ashley
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