I'm Back...

Hello bloggers I am back from Holland and ready to go... sort of. Who knew an inbox could get so full and the fridge could seem so empty! I spent most of today trying to dig my way out of mail, fill the fridge, and talk to my kids, all while experiencing serious jet lag. You know all those lovely responsibilities that come with being a mom, wife, and working girl. So before I start keeping you posted on my competition prep again (remember, I have another one coming up at the end of November in Vegas) I have some photos to share with you from my trip. Enjoy!





Here I am with my girl. We had our first meeting at the Bruine Boon – which is like the Starbucks of Holland. In the little town of Leiden there are mostly students so everyone is out and about laughing and talking and consuming massive quantities of coffee. The absolute dessert to have with your coffee is not a muffin but Dutch appeltaart – that is Dutch apple tart. Yes I had some and is absolutely delish!


Here are my mom, Tina, and my hubby, Bob, standing my the canal after dinner. Kiersten enjoyed a wonderful dessert made with strained yogurt (that’s yogurt cheese folks) and a fig jam. It was so good it apparently won an award in a recent foodie competition. I did not have it, I had a bowl of strawberries. This little restaurant is called Zout en Peper – that is Dutch for Salt and Pepper. This were also the first Dutch words I taught my girls.



Here's a shot of the typical Dutch windmill. We saw tons of these on train ride to visit my family members in their respective parts of Holland, including Delft, home of the beautiful blue and white pottery.



Here's my hubby, Bob, trying out the bike and doing pretty well. This is Holland's primary form of transportation and one we used almost everyday, aside from walking and the train. I think we have it all wrong here in North America.