What I had planned as a final part of Josh's birthday weekend was for us to spend the morning at the Gent flea market. Instead, he took me straight home. After our delightful evening in Gent, I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and terrible body aches. I felt awful - easily the worst I have felt in a very, very long time. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. In the morning Josh went downstairs to get breakfast (I wanted to do nothing, except possibly die). He managed to get me into the bathtub (where I sat and shivered) for a bit before I begged him to take me home. So our plans for the day were scrapped and we went home. It as an extremely long drove for me as all I wanted was to get home and get into bed. I'm pretty sure more than once I asked Josh to shoot me.
I called sick into work thinking I had... something. I had a 103 fever and felt like crap. Not only was I not up for working, I should not be around anyone. The first day I stayed in bed, and when Josh got home I was a hot mess in fever delirium. He wanted to take me to the hospital, but I convinced him to just let me be for the evening. I thought we should call a Mom to give us some fever reducing advice (because at this point I had consistently taken Tylenol, but had no relief). I didn't want to call my mom because I knew she would panic. I suggested we call Josh's mom instead. She had some helpful advice to lower my fever... but she also had some Mom panic as she called us back five times in one hour to check on me.
The next day Josh made an appointment for me with the doctor, and took me to my appointment. This should tell you how sick I was, as I never ask Josh to help me with anything, especially not trivial things I can handle myself like medical appointments. So, on his actual birthday, Josh took me to the doctor. A throat culture, nasal swab, and a chest x-ray later I was diagnosed with pneumonia and given a giant bag full of medications to take home. At least I had a reason for being so sick. The strange thing was how quickly it came on. The week prior I had felt like I may be coming down with a cold. The morning of our brewery tour I determined I must really be coming down with a cold because of the way I felt. Josh thinks it was accelerated from us walking around in the cold and then sitting down outside for dinner.
Being sick is miserable. The worst part of it was we had plans to meet up with friends at Disneyland Paris for Thanksgiving. Our plan had been to drive to Disneyland Paris on Wednesday before Thanksgiving after Josh got off work, spend Thanksgiving day hanging around Paris, go to Disneyland on Friday with our friends, then spend Saturday and Sunday around Paris. It was suppose to be a wonderfully fun weekend. Instead, I spent that weekend on the couch sleeping and watching movies. Josh went to the grocery store and got a few things and made himself pulled pork for Thanksgiving dinner. A let down from what we had planned.
Later in the weekend we met up with friends and went to two Christmas markets. The silver lining to cancelling our Paris trip was we went to one of our favorite local Christmas markets which we would have missed otherwise. But, I wasn't up for much excitement... I could only be outside for a limited amount of time, and the short time I was out and about wore me out. Not how I pictured my Thanksgiving weekend. At the time I was upset and felt that I had ruined Josh's birthday weekend, birthday, and Thanksgiving... but. Life happens. Things get in the way. What I need to focus on is the opportunity to return to Paris in the future.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Josh's Birthday Beer Trip
I have a hard time shopping for my husband. He is actually easy to shop for, so easy it is difficult. He would be happy with anything I got him, regardless of the price or thought which went into the present. The fact he is so easy stresses me out because I want to get him something he will really like or enjoy. And... well. He doesn't need anything... and most of the time if he wants something, he buys it for himself. I also always want to get him special presents and make a big deal out of his birthday, because for his adult life he has been with the military and away from his family or alone for his birthdays. In his own words, his birthday is "just another day." Yes. But, no. I refuse to accept that. My birthday is, in the grand scheme of the world, just another day. But I like to celebrate myself, use that day (or month) as an excuse to treat myself. I think he deserves the same.
I asked two of his friends for suggestions for birthday or Christmas presents. One friend suggested I get Josh Westvleteren 12 beer. If you have never heard of this beer before, let me explain it to you. This is a Trappist beer, meaning it is brewed by monks in a monastery, and Josh loves Trappist beers. There are many Trappist beers brewed in Belgium, however the Westvleteren 12 is considered to be the ultimate, the best. It is considered by many online beer forums to be the "best beer in the world." I read online a case of it sold in the US for $800. I think part of it has to do with how difficult it is to get this beer. So. To get this beer - first, you must call to place your order. You must look at the website for the monastery and determine which beer it is you want to order. You can only call to order certain beers on specific days and times. Then, you must call and pray that you get through (as the Monastery only had one land line they use to take orders). If you get through, you can only place your order for a maximum of two cases, and you must give the license plate number of the car you will be driving to pick up the beer. Then, one week later (exactly to the day - so if you order on a Wednesday, you must pick it up the next Wednesday) you can go to pick up the beer in the car you gave the license plate number for. They keep a record to make sure each "person" (or car, I suppose) is only getting their allotted two cases every 60 days. All of that... every 60 days. If we lived in Belgium it may not be a problem. However. From our house to this monastery it is almost a three hour drive. So I would be making a six hour round trip drive to buy Josh a case of beer. Yeah, process that for a moment. I would do it for him, because I know he would like the beer, and he would appreciate my effort. But. No. I did humor the idea for awhile, but every week when I would check the new schedule, the day to call for the Wesvleteren 12 beer was on a day I was working - so I didn't have the time to spend on the phone trying to call, and I wouldn't be available to go pick it up the next week. But hey, maybe someday I will go buy him some...
But this did get me thinking of trying to find another way for him to enjoy beer on his birthday. Josh loves Belgium, and he loves going to Belgium for beer-related things. After some online searching, I found a brewery tour for one of his favorite beers. Perfect. I decided to round out his birthday weekend by having us return to one of his favorite places in Belgium, Gent. Josh is always talking about Gent and how awesome he thinks it is. We've only been once, and he has a horrible memory, so if he remembers a place and thinks it is great... well, it must really be worth remembering.
We woke up early on Saturday morning and made the drive to brewery. We were a bit early, and it was a quiet morning. I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the outside.
At the beginning of our tour we waited in the tasting room, which had all of the different beers Duvel brews on tap, as well as many retro advertisements. I really enjoyed all of the old signs.
Our tour first took us to a room where we watch a movie which discussed the creation of Duvel, and the expansion of the brewery as well as the Duvel brand. After this our tour guide took us through the outside of the brewery. What is neat about this tour is there are many areas of the brewery which have large windows, so while you aren't actually inside, you would be able to see the brewery working (we were there on a Saturday, and only the tours/tasting room were open). Next we got to see the bottling plant, which is something we have never been able to see before on other brewery tours. Our tour guide encouraged us to come back at another time to "see it in action" as all the machines were stopped while we were there. I think it would be neat to see it running - I could imagine the noise of all the bottles!
At the end of our tour we got to have two free beers of our choosing in the tasting room. They gave us some local cheese to snack on with our beers. Nothing better - two of Josh's favorites: beer and cheese.
One thing I did not plan ahead for was after our two free beers neither one of us was 100% to drive. Not that we were drunk, but... it just wasn't a good idea to drive. We killed time talking a walk and finding a grocery store to do some beer shopping. After some sobering up, we went to Gent to find our hotel and get checked in. Then we made our way into the center of Gent.
I instantly remembered why Josh loved this place. It is beautiful. The architecture of the buildings is unique, like nothing I have seen anywhere else before. We didn't have anything in mind for the evening, we were just going to take in our surroundings, find some dinner, enjoy some beer. And we did exactly that.
As it was Josh's birthday weekend, he picked out a place for diner. We sat outside - it was cold, but the outdoor seating area had blankets and warming lanterns standing near us. It was still cold, but we we were facing a busy pedestrian street, which made for some great people watching. After dinner and some beers, we walked around Gent some more. Gent really is magical at night.
We went back to our hotel - which actually more like a B&B than a hotel, and enjoyed a few more Belgian beers in the lobby before heading to bed. While it wasn't Josh's actual birthday, I hope he enjoyed his special beer themed birthday weekend.
I asked two of his friends for suggestions for birthday or Christmas presents. One friend suggested I get Josh Westvleteren 12 beer. If you have never heard of this beer before, let me explain it to you. This is a Trappist beer, meaning it is brewed by monks in a monastery, and Josh loves Trappist beers. There are many Trappist beers brewed in Belgium, however the Westvleteren 12 is considered to be the ultimate, the best. It is considered by many online beer forums to be the "best beer in the world." I read online a case of it sold in the US for $800. I think part of it has to do with how difficult it is to get this beer. So. To get this beer - first, you must call to place your order. You must look at the website for the monastery and determine which beer it is you want to order. You can only call to order certain beers on specific days and times. Then, you must call and pray that you get through (as the Monastery only had one land line they use to take orders). If you get through, you can only place your order for a maximum of two cases, and you must give the license plate number of the car you will be driving to pick up the beer. Then, one week later (exactly to the day - so if you order on a Wednesday, you must pick it up the next Wednesday) you can go to pick up the beer in the car you gave the license plate number for. They keep a record to make sure each "person" (or car, I suppose) is only getting their allotted two cases every 60 days. All of that... every 60 days. If we lived in Belgium it may not be a problem. However. From our house to this monastery it is almost a three hour drive. So I would be making a six hour round trip drive to buy Josh a case of beer. Yeah, process that for a moment. I would do it for him, because I know he would like the beer, and he would appreciate my effort. But. No. I did humor the idea for awhile, but every week when I would check the new schedule, the day to call for the Wesvleteren 12 beer was on a day I was working - so I didn't have the time to spend on the phone trying to call, and I wouldn't be available to go pick it up the next week. But hey, maybe someday I will go buy him some...
But this did get me thinking of trying to find another way for him to enjoy beer on his birthday. Josh loves Belgium, and he loves going to Belgium for beer-related things. After some online searching, I found a brewery tour for one of his favorite beers. Perfect. I decided to round out his birthday weekend by having us return to one of his favorite places in Belgium, Gent. Josh is always talking about Gent and how awesome he thinks it is. We've only been once, and he has a horrible memory, so if he remembers a place and thinks it is great... well, it must really be worth remembering.
We woke up early on Saturday morning and made the drive to brewery. We were a bit early, and it was a quiet morning. I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the outside.
I instantly remembered why Josh loved this place. It is beautiful. The architecture of the buildings is unique, like nothing I have seen anywhere else before. We didn't have anything in mind for the evening, we were just going to take in our surroundings, find some dinner, enjoy some beer. And we did exactly that.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Veteran's Day at Luxembourg Cemetery
Normally we use a long weekend to do a longer escape. But, since I just got back from the states and we had big plans for Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to lay low for Veteran's Day. This year, we went to the Luxembourg Military Cemetery for their Veteran's Day memorial service. There are many American military cemeteries across Europe (you can see a full list here), but Luxembourg closest to us. We saw the memorial service at the American Military Cemetery at Normandy on Memorial Day (which was so moving), and we thought it was time we paid our respects for Veteran's Day as well.
The parking lot at the cemetery is small - it can hold may 40 cars, which is a lot... but on this day the lot was overflowing, and people had parked on both sides of the road. We had a good ten minute walk from our car to the cemetery. The morning of the memorial was cold, windy, and there was a rain/snow mix falling. It seems appropriate, in a way, to have to stand through bad weather conditions and remind yourself what soldiers of the past have had to live through day in and day out. Weather was only one thing they faced.
I was surprised by how many people were there. Many Americans were there, but also people from Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. There were a few men there who looked to be the right age of someone who could have fought in World War II... but I have no way to know. The ceremony was short, only a half hour, but it was moving to see how many people were there to remember the past. The struggles, pain, and loss of others has not been forgotten.
I - like a dope - forgot my camera at home... but I found these photos (and many others which show the beauty of that cold, rainy day) here.
The parking lot at the cemetery is small - it can hold may 40 cars, which is a lot... but on this day the lot was overflowing, and people had parked on both sides of the road. We had a good ten minute walk from our car to the cemetery. The morning of the memorial was cold, windy, and there was a rain/snow mix falling. It seems appropriate, in a way, to have to stand through bad weather conditions and remind yourself what soldiers of the past have had to live through day in and day out. Weather was only one thing they faced.
I was surprised by how many people were there. Many Americans were there, but also people from Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. There were a few men there who looked to be the right age of someone who could have fought in World War II... but I have no way to know. The ceremony was short, only a half hour, but it was moving to see how many people were there to remember the past. The struggles, pain, and loss of others has not been forgotten.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
My Non-Traditional Business Trip
... so after arriving home after midnight and getting about three hours of sleep, I got up the next morning to catch my 5 am shuttle to the airport. Normally I don't sleep much on flights, but I certainly did for this one.
After I completed my Masters, there is a certification my degree qualifies me to have if I past the examination. It is a national exam which is offered twice a year. I contacted the organization in charge of the certification/exam about taking the test, hoping there was a possibility I could take the exam at one of the education centers on base. The woman I spoke to told me it was possible to do (as they have done it in the past), but I would have to get in contact with the base education center to start the coordination. I did get in touch with the people on base... and to make a long story short what I thought would be an easy process to get signed up for this test turned out to be a huge pain in the butt and I got the run-around on both sides. After a lot of frustration... I formulated a different plan. One of the possible testing sights was in my hometown at the University of Montana. My travel expenses there would technically be a business expense/tax write off. Boom. Done. I'm going home to take my test.
While I was planning this trip... my boss purchased a laser for our office, and was eager for everyone to start using it. I think lasers are an interesting tool for dentistry and it has a myriad of benefits for both the provider and the patient. ... that's all on the topic... I have endless thoughts about dentistry, but I'll spare everyone. Anyway, as much as I would love to just pick up said laser and go to town, things don't work that way. First, I had to make sure I was even allowed to use a laser per my Montana license (turns out, I can. Yay!). Once I knew I could use it, I set out to find some laser training. My office was going to provide in-office training, but I really wanted more than a rushed 30 minute presentation about laser use. Call me crazy, I just don't want to be all willy-nilly brandishing a laser all over when I don't know what I'm doing. I found a recommended laser certification course in Chicago the weekend after my certification exam in Montana. Some more phone calls, emails, and collaborating, and I was set up to take my first ever grown-up business trip. Of sorts.
One minor mistake I made was leaving my camera at home. I packed a small bag for our weekend in Dublin, and only had a few minor things to shift over to my larger state-side bag... and in the process I forgot my camera. It's a shame, as my nieces had grown and changed so much since I last saw them (which, of course they would. It was a good 8 months...). I also had a chance to see an old friend and meet her son, who was a year old by the time I met him. I was also visited by a dear friend of mine who came with her husband and three girls. I met the youngest daughter for the first time. All things which I should documented with pictures. Oh well... My time back home was, as always, wonderful and too short. I had a chance to catch up with many friends and family members, I did some shopping, went to my favorite restaurants. The one minor issue? My exam. I had been studying for it, and a lot of my studying was simply review from my graduate courses. But. It is a lot of information to study. I studied (AKA crammed) at my brother's house for a few days before my test. I didn't think the test itself was tough, however, I didn't leave the exam feeling confident, nor did I feel defeated. I had no idea how I felt about the test, and not a clue how I did. Many people asked me how I thought I did. I could honestly tell each of them I had no idea. (spoiler alert - I passed. WHOOP WHOOP! Kirsten Certified Health Education Specialist).
After my all too brief time in Montana, I flew to Chicago for my laser course. I have never been to Chicago before, and I had heard mixed impressions of the city. I was excited to have a chance to check it out. My laser course took place over two days. I learned a lot, and really enjoyed myself. I was excited to return back to work with fresh ideas and a new skill. Unfortunately, the times of my course and the location of my hotel didn't give me an opportunity to do anything Chicago related. I had a bit of time my last day to try to go explore downtown, but I was limited on time, and I didn't want to go alone. So technically I have been to Chicago, but I have done nothing. Instead I walked to a mall near my hotel and found an amazing used book store. On my way to Chicago I was excited I had reduced the size/weight of my carry on bag. On the way home it was overflowing and heavy with books. Totally worth it.
I always miss Josh when I travel, but I have to say... having a huge king-sized hotel bed to myself with unlimited American cable TV was heaven. I was a little too excited about my TV. I had forgotten what it is like to have so many choices right at your fingertips with your remote. Josh and I have a few shows we will stream online (which is easy, but at the same time, it is a process). Otherwise, we watch a lot of movies or DVDs of shows we check out from the library. Needless to say, we are completely behind the times and have no idea about a lot of new, popular shows. Or we have no access to them. So. Me. TV. It was heaven.
After I completed my Masters, there is a certification my degree qualifies me to have if I past the examination. It is a national exam which is offered twice a year. I contacted the organization in charge of the certification/exam about taking the test, hoping there was a possibility I could take the exam at one of the education centers on base. The woman I spoke to told me it was possible to do (as they have done it in the past), but I would have to get in contact with the base education center to start the coordination. I did get in touch with the people on base... and to make a long story short what I thought would be an easy process to get signed up for this test turned out to be a huge pain in the butt and I got the run-around on both sides. After a lot of frustration... I formulated a different plan. One of the possible testing sights was in my hometown at the University of Montana. My travel expenses there would technically be a business expense/tax write off. Boom. Done. I'm going home to take my test.
While I was planning this trip... my boss purchased a laser for our office, and was eager for everyone to start using it. I think lasers are an interesting tool for dentistry and it has a myriad of benefits for both the provider and the patient. ... that's all on the topic... I have endless thoughts about dentistry, but I'll spare everyone. Anyway, as much as I would love to just pick up said laser and go to town, things don't work that way. First, I had to make sure I was even allowed to use a laser per my Montana license (turns out, I can. Yay!). Once I knew I could use it, I set out to find some laser training. My office was going to provide in-office training, but I really wanted more than a rushed 30 minute presentation about laser use. Call me crazy, I just don't want to be all willy-nilly brandishing a laser all over when I don't know what I'm doing. I found a recommended laser certification course in Chicago the weekend after my certification exam in Montana. Some more phone calls, emails, and collaborating, and I was set up to take my first ever grown-up business trip. Of sorts.
One minor mistake I made was leaving my camera at home. I packed a small bag for our weekend in Dublin, and only had a few minor things to shift over to my larger state-side bag... and in the process I forgot my camera. It's a shame, as my nieces had grown and changed so much since I last saw them (which, of course they would. It was a good 8 months...). I also had a chance to see an old friend and meet her son, who was a year old by the time I met him. I was also visited by a dear friend of mine who came with her husband and three girls. I met the youngest daughter for the first time. All things which I should documented with pictures. Oh well... My time back home was, as always, wonderful and too short. I had a chance to catch up with many friends and family members, I did some shopping, went to my favorite restaurants. The one minor issue? My exam. I had been studying for it, and a lot of my studying was simply review from my graduate courses. But. It is a lot of information to study. I studied (AKA crammed) at my brother's house for a few days before my test. I didn't think the test itself was tough, however, I didn't leave the exam feeling confident, nor did I feel defeated. I had no idea how I felt about the test, and not a clue how I did. Many people asked me how I thought I did. I could honestly tell each of them I had no idea. (spoiler alert - I passed. WHOOP WHOOP! Kirsten Certified Health Education Specialist).
After my all too brief time in Montana, I flew to Chicago for my laser course. I have never been to Chicago before, and I had heard mixed impressions of the city. I was excited to have a chance to check it out. My laser course took place over two days. I learned a lot, and really enjoyed myself. I was excited to return back to work with fresh ideas and a new skill. Unfortunately, the times of my course and the location of my hotel didn't give me an opportunity to do anything Chicago related. I had a bit of time my last day to try to go explore downtown, but I was limited on time, and I didn't want to go alone. So technically I have been to Chicago, but I have done nothing. Instead I walked to a mall near my hotel and found an amazing used book store. On my way to Chicago I was excited I had reduced the size/weight of my carry on bag. On the way home it was overflowing and heavy with books. Totally worth it.
I always miss Josh when I travel, but I have to say... having a huge king-sized hotel bed to myself with unlimited American cable TV was heaven. I was a little too excited about my TV. I had forgotten what it is like to have so many choices right at your fingertips with your remote. Josh and I have a few shows we will stream online (which is easy, but at the same time, it is a process). Otherwise, we watch a lot of movies or DVDs of shows we check out from the library. Needless to say, we are completely behind the times and have no idea about a lot of new, popular shows. Or we have no access to them. So. Me. TV. It was heaven.
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