Walking day- October 23

This morning we woke up around 8:30.  We got ready and had breakfast downstairs.  We met the owner of the hotel, he told us that the hotel was originally built by a wealthy merchant who traded his goods using his boat which he moored on the canal outside of the building.  It came into the owner's family in the early 1900s and has been a hotel ever since.

 We had croissants, cheese, and soft boiled eggs for breakfast.

The breakfast room. 

So today was nothing but walking.  Ok, we did sightsee and go to museums and stuff, but we literally walked from one end of the city to the next to the next.  We walked 5.9 miles not including all the walking we did in the museums.  No wonder my feet hurt!

Anyway, the Scheepvaart Musuem was our first stop.  It is a maritime museum and it is super cool.  There are interactive displays, a replica Dutch East Indies trading ship (The Amsterdam) to climb on board and explore, and interesting artifacts from old Dutch ships.  We spent most of the morning and a little after lunch there.

The Sceepvaart museum

The Amsterdam- replica East Indies trading ship

What's for lunch?

Scott takes after his great grandfather, a skipper.

The crew's bathroom. Yep. At the back of the boat, thankfully. 

After that, we went to the Dutch Resistance museum.  It was very interesting to see what the Dutch went through during WW11.   It was also quite sad.  

After that, we went to the Heineken experience.  It was  a lot different than the last time we went, a lot more to see and  do.  It was fun, but we were a little sad that they got rid of the beautiful tasting bar.  

For dinner, we had Indian food which is right around the block from our hotel.  It was yummy, of course!

                                    Beer!

On a side note, I've been having technical difficulties uploading pictures so sorry for the weird formatting. 

Zombie day- Oct. 22

We arrived in Amsterdam at 7:00 am. It was still pitch black dark and a bit creepy.  The first thing we did was get cash out of the ATM since our hotel only takes cash.  Then we tried to get our tickets for the train into Amsterdam but the machine wouldn't take our cards.  Apparently the new thing in Europe is this chip in it with a special PIN number to work.  We ended up having to pay cash.  We realized much too late that we should've hung out in the Sky lounge until it was late enough to take our bags to the hotel.  Instead, we walked in the dark to our hotel and sat on the steps till the manager/owner? got there to open up.  It wasn't too bad, it was actually cool watching all the people zoom by on their bikes on their way to work.  

Our hotel is super old.  It was built in 1632.  Our room is on the 3rd floor (although the manager told us it was the first floor, lol!) and is called "The Rembrandt."  How cute!  The floor is sloped toward the front of the building.  Did I mention that it was old?

Scott in our hotel room with the sloped floor.

Our cute, old hotel on the corner. 

After dropping off our bags, we dragged ourselves to the Anne Frank house and got in line about 30 minutes before it opened.  There were only about 15 people in front of us.  By the time it opened at 9:00, the line stretched around the block.  We were glad we went ahead and went there first.  

                                   

                                                        the Anne Frank house

Afterward, we took a canal cruise on Holland International.  Scott and I were so tired and the boat rocking was so lulling, that we kept nodding off.  I don't remember half of it!  

         Yes, that is a three story bike parking garage. The Dutch really know how to do bike riding right, including actual bike lanes separate from the car traffic. 

                                                   One of many beautiful canal bridges.

                  Don't let the smiles fool ya, folks. We're actually asleep in this photo. 

          This is how the Dutch move out of 5 story buildings. Another thing they got right!

After that, we dragged ourselves to a restaurant near our hotel, Cafe van Zuylen.  I had a panini with goat cheese, honey, and apricots (oh and ham).  It was sooooo yummy!  Scott had the "healthy sandwich" which basically was a big multi grain roll with ham, cheese, egg, lettuce , and tomato.  We joked that maybe "healthy" really meant "hearty."  We had a corner seat by the window and people watched.  

After lunch, we came back to the hotel and took 3 hour naps.  It was awesome!  I felt a little better when we got up.  

For dinner, we ate at this fancy schmancy Belgian restuarant, Lieve.  It was also soooo good.  When we walked in, we had to choose our "atmosphere":  living room style (basically normal meal), baroque (little samples of everything, served family style), or the elegant (4 course meal). We chose the living room.  We sat at a little lounge area while they set up the table.  My first course was chestnut veloute with a garnish of bacon and roasted hazelnuts.  Scott had smoked whiting with roasted celeriac and a relish of beetroot.  For my main entree I had grilled sirloin of black angus and Scott had baked steak of deer.  We both had Belgian fries, with mayo, of course.  For dessert (yes, we couldn't resist) I had parfait of hazelnuts and Frangelico with caramel sauce, and Scott had mouse of dark chocolate with a biscuit of pink pepper.

I think we will sleep well tonight. :D

Travel day-October 21

Today was a long, long day. Scott and I didn't sleep very well the night before, I guess we were both excited and anxious.  The wait for the flights wasn't so bad, Scott used his Delta credit card status to get us cheaper access to the "Sky lounge" so we could be more comfortable.  The actual flights weren't bad either, very little turbulance.  I loved our comfort coach seats, especially since we were in the first row and I had so much room to stretch my legs.  But neither one of us could sleep on the flight.  The plane was cool because they had just redone the inside so it was like a new plane!

Scott patiently waiting in the sky lounge.

Packing

So Scott and I decided to travel like we did in the old days and only take a carry on suitcase and personal item.  We wanted convertible backpacks with wheels.  The one I got, the Osprey Ozone Convertible 22"/50L, looked great on the website.  I ordered it, and then soon realized how really small that was.  The 50L isn't just the size of the large backpack, it's the size of the large backpack and removable day pack.  I did a lot of research online about how to pack so lightly for 17 days.  I picked out coordinating tops and pants that I could mix and match.  I tried to pack it all.  It was too much.  Bit by bit, I had to remove pieces of clothing and made several sacrifices.  For instance, I'm going to have to wear my socks twice.  I also had to take out my dress because the shoes were just too big, even though I got the smallest flats I could find.  And I had to switch my extra bag to a thin nylon bag that hopefully will hold up!  But in the end, I got it all in! 

Here is my suitcase with everything in it, my toiletry bag is to the left, extra day bag/purse, hat, and even my pink bunny slippers.  Scarves are rolled up and line the sides.

I removed the top layer and you can see two packing cubes and one of my sweaters.  The blue packing cube holds my shirts, the red one holds undies.  The black one holds socks. 

And here it is, all zipped up and ready to go.

I'm pretty proud of myself!  I don't know how I did it, but I did.  Here is my packing list:

• 2 pair of pants, plus the jeans I'll be wearing
• 3 tank/camis
• 1 tee shirt (I'll be wearing) to use as a pj tee shirt, too
• 3 blouses
• 2 sweaters
• undies and socks
• 2 belts
• 1 pair of pink bunny slippers
• 1 pair of pj shorts
• 2 scarves, 1 hat, 1 pair of gloves
• 1 extra bag for souvenirs
• 2 wine diapers
• plug adapters

In my "personal item" bag:

• electronic stuff
• puzzle book
• copies of tickets and hotel confirmations
• medicines
• liquids bag
• money, passport, etc
• snack food

That's it for 17 days!   Think I'll survive? lol

Moving forward

Sooo...Scott and I have decided to adopt.  An embryo.  We got put on the waiting list almost immediately after the IVF didn't work.  Scott and I figured we had at least till the end of the year since we were number 10 on the list.  We started planning our trip to Europe.  We were beginning to heal from the disappointment, although I still can't bring myself to go to a baby shower.  Then, a few weeks ago, I got an email saying that there were some embryos available for us.  We couldn't believe it had had happened seemingly so quickly!  After some praying and talking with family and close friends, we decided to go forward with adopting the embryos.  We will get two.  So, first we have to do all of this preliminary stuff to make sure we are fit physically and mentally.  Today we passed the first test, we aren't crazy! lol  Next week we go for me to have bloodwork, meet with the doctor again, and take the class to learn about the process and all of the fun shots I get to do this time (as well as pay our money for the process). 
I am cautiously optimistic, cautiously excited, and nervous at the same time.  I don't know what will happen, but the doctor feels pretty confident that I am a good candidate for this.  We will do the transfers and all when get back from Europe.  Let's all hope and pray this works!

Venting

I wish I knew more infertile couples.  How do they deal with it?  It is crazy how many of my family and friends are pregnant or just having babies.  I can't escape it.  Thank goodness I have been burning the candle at both ends with work lately or my sister calling to say my newly married cousin's wife was preggers might have sent me over the edge, lol!  Instead, I just sighed, almost numb to the news anymore.  But not the kind of numb where it doesn't bother me anymore, just the overwhelmed with the unfairness of it all.  It is so hard to stay positive, and boy, this post is a Debbie Downer, right?  I just don't have anyone to talk to about it, besides one friend, who is so strong I don't know how she does it. 
So, I just live my life, and hope that the news will come soon that we have moved up on the embryo adoption list.  And try not to give up hope... I must.  I don't want to be a bitter person, I want to be happy for my family and friends.  Its not their fault that we're going through this. And I must count my blessings.  I do have a wonderful husband who loves me no matter how many times I work late and have to pick up dinner, and no matter how many times I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.  He loves me, and that's more than I thought I would have 4 years ago.  I know God has a plan for me, just like He had Scott in the works for all those years.  Something will happen, I just can't feel it yet.
On a happy note, one good thing about not having kids is that Scott and I can travel easily/less expensively.  I love traveling and we are planning a trip to Europe again around our anniversary.  I can't wait till track out when we'll start planning all the details. 

I don't even have words for this crazy week. But prayers would be nice for personal struggles. :)