Get-together with friends

Thank you to everyone who came out to the party to help us celebrate our move to Belgium. An extra special thank you to Darren for organizing the event and to the Tsuno's for hosting the after-party at their house. It was a wonderful evening filled with fun and good food. We will miss all of you during our stay in Belgium! We look forward to keeping in touch with you while we are away and hope we will see some of you in Europe! Merci-Beaucoup and Au Revoir!

Housing Trip

Ray and I spent the week of December 10th in Brussels, Belgium. I got to see first hand the house that Ray picked out (I must say that Ray did a great job securing a suitable home for our stay in Belgium).

We also checked out various schools and took care of other necessary business related to our upcoming move. The International Schools in Belgium are excellent and we feel the girls will benefit greatly from this international experience.

It was a great time to visit Belgium for the first time (for me) during the Christmas holiday season. The Christmas markets and Christmas decorations really enhanced the beauty and splendor of Belgium. We were lucky that we did not experience any rain during this week and contrary to what I've been hearing, there indeed is a sun in Belgium. The weather is very different from sunny Southern California -- the seasons actually change, so that will be a big adjustment for all of us. We were told by the locals that the weather we experienced was about the coldest it will ever get, so I can handle that. And what better excuse to get a new wardrobe, right?!

During our free evenings, we walked and explored downtown Brussels. The Grand Place, which is the "heart" of downtown Brussels, was truly spectacular with its Christmas lighting display of the town hall which danced to the music of French Opera pulsing through the square. We also enjoyed the Christmas Market where we rode a large ferris wheel giving us a beautiful view of the city at night. In addition, we visited the city of Bruges (1 hour drive located in northern Belgium). Bruges is a beautiful historic city where we walked winding cobblestone alleys and viewed many lovely canals. Like Brussels, there was an abundance of shops, restaurants, and museums where you can browse at your leisure. And they, too, had a Christmas market which was fun cruising through.






Belgium is noted for its many varieties of beer (over 450 of them), gauffres aka waffles (2 types - Belgium and Liege), frites, mussels, and chocolate. 1) Waffles - We found a little stand near the Mannequin Pis. We tried the Liege waffle which I chose for its burned sugar coating on the outside making it sweeter than the Belgium - topped off with powdered sugar. Pure heaven when we sank our teeth into it. In fact, we went back two more nights for more! 2)Frites - okay so what's the big fuss about these fries? Well, if you find the right vendor, these twice fried fries are light, crispy and delicious. And yes, they do eat it with mayonaise. 3)Mussels - Since Ray doesn't like mussels, only I had the opportunity to try this one. For lunch in Bruges, I had Mussels cooked in a light white wine and cream sauce. Not bad, but a pot of mussels was a bit overload for me. What I mean is I would prefer it as an appetizer opposed to a main dish. And well, I'll have to leave the chocolate to a future post.

Although we missed the girls dearly during the trip, I must say that it was quite nice to travel just the two of us...

Update on the girls

DS is 4 years old (almost 5 this January) and little sister PS just turned 2 in November. I must say, the girls are growing up way too fast! DS is currently attending pre-school 5 days a week (1/2 days), Japanese school on Saturdays, and to Mommy's delight (since DS expressed interest in learning French), she is also taking private French classes at Berlitz. DS loves to play with friends and play and tease her little sister PS. She also loves to travel and to go on day trips to Disneyland and Legoland. DS is still the little dare-devil (like Mommy) and will go on any ride she is tall enough to go on. On some rides, we have to tell her to put her hands down for fear of her flying out of the ride!

For all who know her, PS is just as active as ever. In addition, she's now talking our ears off. PS is now going to pre-school 2 days a week. To mommy's delight, PS acclimated to pre-school very well! Her favorite playmate, of course, is her big sister DS who she loves dearly. Unlike her big sister, however, she is a little more cautious (like Daddy) and won't do things as easily as DS will/would. This was evident when during our Hawaii trip in November, she refused to go down the water slide no matter how much we coaxed her to. PS also shows interest in books like DS did. Sorry to brag, but proud mommys do -- PS, too, learned her ABC's and phonics by 18-mos-old. Hopefully, she will be just as good a reader as her big sister is.

PS and DS have been spending much time w/Grandma and Grandpa. They are both so fortunate to have such loving grandparents. Although DS is excited about our pending move, I don't think she realizes the impact of how far away we will be from GM and GP. Thank goodness for modern technology, however -- we will be in contact through webcams. And, hopefully GM and GP will come for long visits during our stay in Belgium.