September Recap

September! A total blur of a month. I finally bit the bullet and signed up for a month-long intensive online Dutch class. It only took 8 years! I found a class through the University of Amsterdam language school that met every morning for 2 1/2 hours with a few hours a day of homework. It got me from beginner up to A2 level, which was needed to take the rest of the inburgering (integration) exams. The professor was great and it was fun to "meet" the other 9 students who live throughout the NL (and one in Germany). I haven't been a student in a very long time and it was good to hit the books! At the end of the month I had written and oral exams for the course, which I passed! I can continue on to higher levels of Dutch now, but am giving myself time to practice everything I learned (the pace was really fast). 

Let's do this! 

Book club

Baseball season underway

Post-game fun at Pllek in Noord. 

A wild Friday night with this hard-working teacher

Maeve had the same classmates the last two years, but they were split this year. So there were a lot of new families to meet. One of the mom's arranged an outing in Amstel park for everyone to get to know each other. Half of the class was there, which was really nice. We ended with some mini golf.

Open Monument day touring Fort bij Abcoude from the 1880s

Tunnels behind where the ammuniton was made

The annual hop harvest

Pete entered a beer in a home brew competition at Gerrit in Uithorn, a new brewery of the Naeckte Brouwers. He bakfietsed there and back with his little keg and was surrounded by well-branded competition, but he won the judges' choice! The brewery is going to make his beer (a raspberry sour) and we will definitely have a party there to celebrate when it happens! 

Lunch on a beautiful September day

Queen Elizabeth's passing was the ending of an era and hit me hard. I watched the live coverage of her funeral procession to Westminister Abbey. 

Date night: tapas and ballet

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It was a rainy bike ride home for Pete, while I squeezed under the raincover of the bakfiets! 

Maeve got a bunk bed as a temporary solution to her having the smallest room. One day, Pete and I will turn the top floor into our primary bedroom suite and she'll get our room, but this will give her a little more "space" for now.

I didn't make it to my pilates studio at all this month because of my Dutch class, but got in some nice neighborhood walks instead. 

Last baseball game of the year

Last game for coaches Elisa and Stanneke. Only coach Pete left now! 

ISA back-to-school nights and the back-to-school PTA BBQ. Feels like a really normal school year, which is a great feeling

The kids wanted me to visit all of their specialty classes during the settling-in conferences

Gia Gets Married!

Oh happy days! At the end of August, I returned to Boulder to see Gia get married! 4 days in the Colorado mountains, reconnecting with a big Bowdoin crew, dancing my face off, and watching a dear friend marry a great guy. Bliss! 

"Fresh" off the second plane of my journey, I went straight to the welcome drinks at VisionQuest brewery. 

Long lost Britton back from Australia!

My accommodations changed at the last minute when my host got COVID. Luckily, Amelia had an extra room in the sweet mountain house she rented with a small Bowdoin crew. Jetlag meant early mornings enjoying the peaceful setting. 

A beautiful day in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. 

The crew

Before the majority of the group stripped down for a dip (not me!)

We saw a moose! 

Friday night welcome drinks at Rayback Collective. It's a popular Boulder spot so a group of us went early to hold down some tables. 

Hanging out with the bride getting ready on the big day! 

Wedding time at Ya ya farm and orchard! Some stolen photos of the beautiful details Gia created. 

A super sweet, heartfelt service. 

Homebrew of course! Delicious, but the Moscow mules were my go-to. 

There was some unexpected rain so a lot of time was spent in the barn, staying dry. The hilarious memory of going through the taco buffet with people holding up plastic sheets to provide cover will stay with me.

We danced the night away and then headed into Downtown Boulder for the after-party. The bride and groom shut the party down and somehow managed to host a brunch at their house the next morning! 

Upchurches! 

Gia, her dahlias, and all of the Bowdoin kids 😂

A lot of time with this ray of sunshine! 

The bonus of the wedding weekend was getting to see Rachel again! She whisked me away from the brunch and we had the day to spend together before my flight the next morning. 

Moody waterlilies at the Denver Botanic Garden