Hi everybody, Here's a quick update on Melanie's job situation - for anybody who hasn't heard already. We've suspected for some time that Melanie would not have a job to return to in Chicago and that she would therefore be laid off (made redundant). This is, in fact, what has happened. Melanie's last day at work was yesterday, May 8. Our plan is...

Botanical Gardens Amsterdam To continue the theme of things botanical.... It's spring in Amsterdam. Time to visit the Hortus Botanicus. Like everything in this compact country, it's easily reached by public transportation. If you're the kind of traveler who likes a timetable: allow yourself a minimum of two hours to wander through the gardens an...

Considering it is currently past midnight and I still have to pack my woeful, awful, undersized bags for a morning flight (I am still in denial), I will give Amsterdam a cursory blog, even though it is deserving of more. It's a really lovely clean city, cute leaning terrace houses on the sides of the canals, bikes EVERYWHERE (if Andrew and I mak...

After the mission trip I spent a few days in this fantastic city.

Although February was busy, we haven't done quite so many glamorous trips as at the end of February. At the beginning of the month Melanie had a 2 day meeting in Maastricht, in the southern tail of the Netherlands. Chris came along and spent one day visiting the Orval monastery in Belgium and the other day exploring Maastricht. The following two...