rome

i have a few minutes left to blog. i have no idea about this keyboard so dont judge my typing mistakes.

we have spent the last 2 days in rome. so incredible for the history teacher in me.
we arrive saturday evening around 7ish and found our hostel after only 1 wrong turn. we are always quite pleased with our navigating abilities. we discovered that we booked a very nice room. only 2 beds, with 2 nightstands, 2 chairs, a fan, and a sink. they also provide sheets and towels. we are feeling like queens these 3 nights.

we unpacked and went for a great dinner and then decided how to spend our first full day.
sunday morning we walked over to the colosseum. we literally turned a corner and there it was. amazing. we hired an english speaking tour guide and with 50 other people we followed them around for the next several hours. i loved the guide b-c i heard so many amazing stories and i really love a good story. you may already know that about me.

we also saw the roman forum and the palatine hill. so incredible. by now it was 2ish and we were too hot to eat and oh my lands we were baking in the sun. my feet are swollen and rub against my shoes which has made for some lovely blisters. just sayin

we decided to just walk back which nearly caused my feet to revolt but i did not complain. well, maybe just the one time. anyways, we showered, rested and found food again.

today the alarm went off at 6:45 and we were out the door an hour later. to save our feet today we took the roman metro straight to the vatican. we toured st. peters and then the sistine chapel. breathtaking. seriously.
we found a good pizza to split and by good i mean an amazing vegetarian pizza with grilled eggplant, artichokes and zucchini. heaven.

there were some women selling clothes on the street so i bought some for a deal. i know how to barter in many languages.

we caught the metro to the spanish steps where i climbed to the top and then we both sat by the fountain to cool off and people-watch.

then we went to Gucchi. just sayin

we caught the metro home, soaked our feet in water. my feet were in the garbage can while kerri soaked hers in a plastic bag filled with cold water.

we went to the store to buy more food for our picnics and breakfast, then came to the internet-laundry place for 30 mins and now that it is nealy 9 i am going to eat dinner.

love to you.

Europe - Day 5

The other day in Interlaken I had 6 free minutes of internet time. I sat here for enough time to leave a quick message on facebook and then I pounded out a quick blog. It looks as though the blog did not make it which is no surprise to me. Something went wrong at the end.

It is evening now in Florence. We are done for the day as it is after 9 p.m. Our hostel here has 2 computers and we have free internet usage for 45 mins and if there is no line then we may log on again. It is payday for me, so I decided to come online and check my bank accounts to make sure I am not draining my checking account! I fully planned on writing down every interaction as I went along, but it has not happened that way. Thank goodness for the ability to manage accounts online from overseas!

We landed without problems early Tuesday morning, after a very long and noisy flight. Neither one of us slept and we had a long day to look forward too. We immediately found a Dayroom at the airport and reserved it for our last night in Zurich instead of booking a hostel. We will be able to shower and sleep there and get ready for our early flight home. Then we went to the train station across the street and secured our train reservations. We ran into problems booking them from home but we had no problems when we arrived to secure them. We finishd up with only 4 minutes to spare and caught our first train.

We went straight to Interlaken and the view along the way was incredible! It was rainy and chilly, but still breathtaking. We got a little bit lost on the way (like 45 mins lost) but with the help of a very cute Swiss lady we were able to find it. We checked in, regrouped, and went out exploring. We were hungry and must have had the best pizza EVER. Just saying. When we stopped to window shop or to orient ourselves we got so very tired. We just kept moving. And moving. And more walking.

We could not get into our room until 4ish and when we finally did we decided to shower, eat dinner and we were in bed by 8. By that time we had been awake for 32 hours and we slept for 12 hours. It was delightful.

Paragliding turned out to be too expensive, so we canned that idea. Instead we decided to explore Interlaken. In the morning we went for a 2 hour hike along one of the lakes. We were in search of castle ruins. It was a lovely time and I am so in love with those rivers and lakes. We had a picnic back at the Hostel and then rented bikes for the afternoon. We toured the other lake and slowly made our way back to the Hostel. It was a 2 hour bike ride. For dinner we splurged and had fondue. OH MY WORD. So good. Ben was our server and he was a very smooth flirt. With the encouragement of Kerri I flirted back. Such a great night.

Thursday we woke up at 6ish and caught a 7 a.m. trian to Milan. Milan was overwhelming. We were at the far end of the city and carrying our backpacks so we could not walk far. We found a delightful cafe and camped out there for about 2 hours, as is the European way! I ordered the BEST EGGPLANT EVER. It is hard to avoid my food allergies here, so I am trying to be careful, but am not worrying about it for this trip. Seriously, the eggplant was cooked perfectly, the sauce was no overpowering, and the cheese was melted just right. Every bite was a bit of heaven.

We caught our next train from Milan to Florence just a few hours later and in the late afternoon we arrived in Florence. We immediately found our Hostel, checked in, and went in search of food. Our dinner was again outside on a piazza and I was able to order a white pizza. It could have fed a village. YUM, and I took half home for breakfast.

Last night we slept for 11 hours. This morning we toured the 3rd largest church in Europe, the Duoma of Florence. We took 463 steps to the top and could see the entire city. Amazing. We had gelatto for lunch and then caught a bus to Greve in Chianti to visit a winery. We had a fabulous time Wine Tasting and walking around a very cute Italian city. We caught the bus back, and went in search of another amazing meal. No matter where we eat, we are never disappointed! Tonight I had pasta tossed in what must be the freshest pesto ever. Amazing.

Lots of pics are being taken, I promise!

Four People

It is Day Three of my Writers Weekend. The weather in TC has been beautiful, though the predictions were not. It's hard to be stuck inside a little room all day when there is a pool on the other side of the parking lot.

I was nervous, you know, when I got here. I did all the unpacking, sorting, settling in and finally the time came for me to create the space to write. I pulled the table into the middle of the room, set up my laptop, opened a new document, and stared at a blank white page.

Pure Fear.

I had an idea of where I would begin with my story and I hoped that maybe, perhaps, hopefully I could write 15 pages in 4 days. I wondered if I would be able to sit still for so long while concentrating. I don't like to sit down for long periods of time. I worried that I wouldn't remember what I wanted to say and I was stressed about finding my writers voice.

I wrote 8 pages that first night here in about 6 hours. I wasn't concentrating, I took too many breaks, and I let myself go outside and read a book about writing. I did well, don't get me wrong, and of course it's going to take some time to get into a groove.

Yesterday I started writing around 10:45 a.m. and I made myself stop at 9 p.m. I was going to take lunch at 2 p.m. but I was in the middle of a story and finally stopped around 3. I took a 90 minute break around dinner time and went to the mall. My concentration was improving, I took fewer breaks and I noted that even when I was on a break, my mind was still thinking about the next thing to write. I wrote 23 pages yesterday. Twenty-three.

I'm having a riot, just so you know.

Yesterday I spoke aloud to four people and each conversation was one of courtesy.

Person One:
I was blow drying my hair when I heard housekeeping knock on the door.
HK: Hey, Good Morning, Do you need anything? New towels?
Me: Um, no, I have 3 towels here, but do you have a dish cloth?
HK: No, just that scrubby thing.
Me: Ah, okay, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Thank you!
HK: Thank you, have a good day.

Person Two:
There is a Dunkin Donuts about a mile from here and I made a coffee run around noon.
DD: Hi, May I help you?
Me: Yes, may I please have a medium coffee and do you have french vanilla creamer?
DD: Yep.
(makes coffee)
DD: Here ya go and that'll be $1.60
Me: Thanks!

Person Three:
I forgot to pack black dress shoes for my dress clothes for the conference I am attending later this week in TC. Also, I didn't pack any shorts and truthfully, I've not purchased a new pair of shorts in 7 years. I thought it was time. I took a 90 minute break and went to the outlet mall in TC. First, to Old Navy:
ON: Good afternoon! Let us know if you need anything.
Me: (smiles)
tralalala, I walk around and touch all the fabric.
Me: (in the dressing room): I have four items
ON: let me know if you need anything.
now I am about to check out
ON: Did you find everything you need?
Me: Yes, I did. And thank you for not asking me if I wanted an Old Navy Credit Card (I overheard all the other offers to other customers and was dreading it).
ON: Well, I saw you already had your card out.

Person Four:
I walked over to the shoe store.
SS: Good Afternoon!
Me: (Smiles)
I am disappointed in the prices, but OH! I found a great pair in my price range! And I'm going to toss 2 pairs of shoes when I get home! I go to check out.
SS: Did you find everything okay?
Me: Yes, and oh, I brought my own bag.
SS: Thanks, have a good day!
Me: You too.

They say the average woman speaks more than 20,000 words a day.
I like to break the mold.

Writers Weekend

My goal for 2008 was to write a book. And even though I never sat down to actually Write any words, the process certainly began in April, 2008. I went to the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College with my dear friend Holly. We listened to speakers, editors, authors, publishers. We were blown away. We sat on the Common Lawn and stared into the bright blue sky. We were dreamy. It was during this weekend that I fully realized just what type of book I wanted to write. I mean, Needed to write. The wheels really starting turning then.

A few months later I got an email from an online magazine that I submit articles to: Burnside Writers Collective. They invited me to come to the table, to join their team, to write. This was a huge validation for me. I was learning to say, "I am a writer" instead of "I like to write" and those were baby steps indeed.

Joining the BWC Team changed the last several months of my life. I met more authors who were out there, doing it. They were getting books published, encouraging each other, helping one another and I got to be a part of it. Then I went to Portland for Spring Break and that trip Really flipped me over. I finally met, in person, Susan, Penny, Don, a book agent and I sucked in a bit of their air space. It was good. It was motivating.

A week after my return from Portland I thought I was finally ready to take the plunge and start actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as it were). I booked myself a 3 night stay at a hotel in Traverse City. I started to read Anne Lamott. Anne helped me dig up old, old stories. I was ready to start writing My story then and there, but I had a Real job to do and I put all those thoughts on the back burner.

I am here now, in Traverse City. I arrived about an hour ago. I picked up some food at the local market, checked in an hour early, unpacked my bags and now is the time to start.

I'm nervous. Scared. Overwhelmed. And smiling from the Joy of this great ride.

I have a good life. I hope you'll get to read about it in my book.

The Garden has been Planted

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning. I flung off the covers in excitement for the day. Okay, I do that every morning because I can't wait to eat breakfast. But this day I was ready for breakfast AND dirt. I was going to plant my first real garden. I got to Mom's house around 9:45 (for although I was up early, I dinked around at home. Dinking around is my favorite past-time) and we went to the seed store in Zeeland.



We prepped the garden with Organic Weed Killer and Organic Fertilizer. I know it takes 3 years for a garden to officially be Organic, but that means I have to start now. I made a map of where I wanted all the veggies to grow, how far apart they should all be and even thought of Veggie Markers.

I alternated between picking up and tossing the sun-dried sod and planted rows of yummies. But let's stick to the Garden. As I mentioned before, the Garden is 9x24 feet. The majority of the garden is 9x20 feet and at the Eastern end is a little triangle of sorts.


The first real row is carrots. We planted one packet so far and in two weeks we will plant another packet. Mom says that staggering the planting dates means we get a later harvest in the fall. I can already taste the fresh Carrot Cake, or cooked carrots, or fresh carrot shavings in my salad. Oh my word. I have to wait for all this good to Grow! The 2nd row is white onions. However, I am nervous about these. After the first watering, I saw 3 of 'em floating around. Not a good sign.


The Garden sits in my parents backyard, behind their little shop. At the Northern end of the Garden we moved an old wagon wheel (I think it's from my Grandpa VerBeek). There we planted 4 mounds of cucumbers. The vines will be trained to grow up the spokes which apparently makes for healthier, larger, and cleaner cukes. Perfect for my summer salad obsession.
The middle row is eggplant, red peppers and green peppers. The last 2 rows are a staggering of yellow beans. We really love yellow beans. I mean it. We love 'em. The little triangle at the Eastern end now holds my Summer Squash and Zucchini which I started from seed. Last year I learned the fine art of grilling and roasting veggies. I can't wait to snack on them!




I was going to use wooden rulers to mark the rows (until the veggies come up and we can remember. You know about my memory problems, right?), but Mom found these round wooden sticks. They came in handy twice. Once we used them to measure the distance between rows (forget about marking straight lines) and then again we marked them with what will eventually grow.





And this is my little 4x6 foot Condo Garden Box. About a month ago I planted Salad Bowl Lettuce, Endive, and Spinach. Look how pretty it is! And in the pots I am growing basil (sweet basil!), oregano, parsley, and rosemary.

When are you coming over for dinner?

Generous Christians

The other night a new friend and I were talking about our Faith Journeys when he asked, "Why do you like your church? What is it about Mars Hill?" I had to stop and think. How do I summarize all that I feel and know about my church into a few words or phrases? Mars Hill feels like home, but it's not the Place that I love, it's the people and what I learn there and through them. I said, "At my church we talk a lot about living the Best Life Possible. We talk about Loving People and Loving God. We wrestle with what that means and looks like. We discuss The Third Way- for sometimes it seems that we have 2 options to solve a problem or a conflict, but often there is a Third Way and it involves Love." Not to mention my Community of Friends who walk My Story with me and I with them. They make me feel a little less crazy and show me what it means to really love and be generous.

My answer seemed simple yet I knew it was true. Those are the reasons I love Mars Hill. My love is not based on how I feel about sermons, worship songs, theology or decoration. It is based entirely on the fact that I am better for knowing people there and have learned how to love God more.

Yesterday I spent 7 hours working in my Garden. I thought about God, the Creation Story, how plants burst forth from seeds, and about my answer to the question, "Why do you like your church?" I wasn't sure if I answered well or if I had really touched on the heart of the matter.

Today I went to church.

Church started with singing and immediately I was smiling because the worship team was using a red, plastic Kazoo. Love it. Then later we sang a hymn from 1848, nice and slow, with the sounds of an organ. Rob and Ed team taught today on this passage and it was all I could do to stay in my seat without clapping and hollering. Acts 2:44-45, "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone who had need."

Beautiful.

This was the early Christian church. It was a group of people who found a way for those who Have to give to those who Have Not. It's about community, sharing, loving and living together. They talked about leaping with Joy - meaning, those who have enough are so happy that they are literally leaping with Joy. They have the ability to Leap because their are no stones in their shoes (it's hard to walk with a pebble in your shoe). And then there are those among us who are Limping with the burden of having nothing. How can we share our Joy? While Ed explained this Rob was placing buckets around the stage. Then we heard this, "If you are leaping because you have enough and are paying your bills and have a little bit left over, you may come forward and give. If, however, you are limping because you have to choose between buying food or paying for medical bills, please come down, reach into the bucket and take what you need."

By now I am crying. Such leaky eyes.

Before Ed could really finish the invitation to give, people were already going forward and dropping money. I heard purses being unzipped and saw men reaching for their wallets. The stage was flooded with Generous Christians. After a few minutes Rob and Ed interrupted and said, "We see a lot of people giving and we thank you. But we know a lot of you are out there and you are hurting. Please. Please. Please, come forward and take what you need." Never in my life have I heard a pastor stand on stage and invite people to take money. They were begging people to take it. I saw a few people go forward and sheepishly reach in and count out a few bills. Ed said, "Some of you have taken a bit, please come around a 2nd time and take More." I was still sobbing from the sheer Joy of watching it all unfold.

This, then, is why I love my church.

Turning a Yard into Garden

I didn't know. I just didn't know.
I've been planning on turning part of my parents yard into a garden for about a year now. Last week Mom called my cousins to see if they would rototill the garden for me. Um, it turns out we should've put weedkiller on the grass last August to aid this process along. They said that they Could but it would make for a clumpy garden. A few days later my Mom spoke to a family friend who also has a garden and a rototiller. He said, "Well, sure, I can do that for Diane, but she'll need to turn over that yard with a shovel first."

I was not dismayed.

Friday night I bought a sprinkler. Saturday morning we hooked up that sprinkler and soaked the ground in order to make this process easier. (I tried to shovel the dry ground and it just doesn't work). Also, I have no sneakers so I was wearing sandals. I worked for about 2 hours Saturday and turned over 6x14 feet of yard. Sunday afternoon I came back (shhhhh) and tried again but it was too hot.

Around 6 p.m. Sunday afternoon I called Mom, "Hey - can I come over and spend the night? I'd like to try the garden again and I know if I stay the night that I'll get an early start." I worked that night until 8:30 and expanded the garden to 9x24 feet. This did not feel like work. I was having Fun.

Monday morning at 9 a.m. I was outside once again. This time I was barefoot. This time I had to turn over all those dirt clods in order to dry them out. I need to rescue all that dirt and toss all that grass. Flipping the sod took me 6 full hours and I was dancing and singing the whole time. I cannot tell you how great it felt. The work was hard, yes, and some of the clods weighed at least 10 lbs but I had dreams of melons and peppers in my head.

I was going to go back later this week and shake out all the dirt but we have rain in the forecast. I hope the rain shakes out the dirt. If not, I have more work ahead of me before I plant one single seed. My plan is to start planting this weekend.

Then a fence, and maybe some sort of mulching, oh and fertilizer and watering and oh I cannot wait. Please come over and watch my garden grow!