Life: Idiotropic

Tuesday - This was the day to pick up Dad and Angie at the airport - no problem. So we bustled around doing last minute things in the morning, then I picked up all the girls from school and started the drive for Dusseldorf. Kirk and I'd looked up mapquest directions the night before and I saw that there were several ways to get there, so I just plugged in Stella - our GPS system - and set it for the Dusseldorf airport. An hour later we drove up to a dinky, out-of-the-way, local airport with a tiny helicopter sitting on the runway. Yeah - I knew it wasn't it, but I had to go in and ask. Very little English speakers there, but someone did understand me enough to say that no, I wasn't at Dusseldorf International. Twenty minutes up the autobahn I was at the right airport. The drive was nice. We crossed over the Rhine and through a really long tunnel. The girls put their arms up and yelled, "tunnel," over and over again until we were out. I got to the airport, followed the green lit signs to the parking "frei" and ended up back on the autobahn to do another 10 minute loop - Oh fun. Eventually we got there, found parking by the departures. It was 30 minute only parking, but I was desperate, so I parked there anyway. When we walked in we saw Ronald McDonald - a very skinny version - speeding around the airport on a little scooter - the old fashioned non-electric kind. It was a bit silly. Life-sized statues of him littered quite a few benches there as well. As soon as we got to the Customs doors, Dad and Angie walked out. The kids screamed and ran towards them excitedly and we got to head back. After stopping for some snacks for the drive home, the car ended up being in parking just 31 minutes. That cost me 4.55 Euro - ouch! That's more expensive than Amsterdam! The drive home was uneventful and Dad and Angie seemed a lot more well rested than I'd expected.

Yes, rested. I'd thought that they'd collapse and rest when we got back to the house. Instead, we took a tour of the house and dad started taking pictures - lots of pictures - of everything. They loved the windows that open all the way up - like a door. The kids like that too - they can climb out!

Tiara had ballet that night, so we all went to Sittard and had coffee and ice cream in the market while Tiara danced. Her class is long on Tuesdays, so we had time for a nice walk too. I took them back behind Putstraat where the little gardens are hidden and we walked down a little pedestrian area between some other houses too. Arianna and Luci are obsessed with those wish-maker things... the little puffy seeded ends of dandelions that look like a cotton ball. They look for them everywhere and love to blow off the seeds and make their wishes. I am certainly glad that they are spreading their dandelion wishes on someone else's yard. There are tons of dandelions here - even in yards - and it doesn't seem to bother people. As finicky as people are here about their properties, they seem to really be ok with random wildflowers growing in the lawn. At our house we have cute little purple flowers and daisy's in our grass. The girls pick them and make tiny bouquets every time they're out.