amsterdam top 10....

ok, so i've been here a week and things are going well. i've been through the city of Utrecht a little, but not Amsterdam yet. i'm waiting to take Kristie and Caleb. Holland is a little different, so here is a quick top 10 of things that are awesome about the netherlands.

1. the prefered mode of transportation here is the bicycle. most of the bicycles are leftovers from WW2.
2. this means that a small family will travel on one bicycle. mom drives, one child in the seat behind the handle bars, the other child either in the seat on the rear or just sitting on the rack over the back tire.
3. some people just ride their friends around on the back of their bicycle, sitting on the rack.
4. there are really no SUV's here, just compact cars and Mercedes Benz. a lot of cabs are Mercedes.
5. the bicycle paths are better kept than the streets, and almost as wide.
6. french fries and mayonaise.
7. everyone smokes. 8 year olds, our cheerleaders, the pregnant lady at the bar on saturday night (i'm not kidding)
8. i have no idea how to speak or understand dutch except for one word, that i can't spell, which i have adopted to mean everything and anything that i want.
9. the dollar sucks here and euro coins are annoying.
10. as we were on the bus coming from the airport to Utrecht, passing by Amsterdam, the bus driver says, "Welcome to Amsterdam! On the left you can see the Amsterdam Stadium where you play your games. If you look to the right... you can't see a f***ing thing on the left! Welcome to Amsterdam!" no joke!

really, everyone speaks english, which really makes you feel like an idiot, and everyone is nice. i'm having a good time so far but i miss my family. they will be here in a week. i can't wait!

our first game is this saturday at home against the Rhein Fire. should be a good time. we have a really good team.

out'

me at the airport

Amsterdam_0001
Originally uploaded by thefatrat.

well, i'm here and here are some pictures to prove it.

rockin' utrecht...

well... i'm here. the plane ride over seas kicks butt. i had my own personal tv screen. we could pick from about 15 different movies to watch, all kinds of stuff.
the flight was about 8 hours, then another flight from london to amsterdam. then we took a bus to utrecht.

the time difference wasn't too bad, i'm adjusted now and practices are underway. we've gotten to see some of the city and it's not too bad, other than the fact that i can't understand a single word of spoken or written dutch. good thing is many people speak english.

kristie is coming at the beginning of april. i can't wait. i'm missing then pretty hard. i've got the baby bed in my room already and i've shopped for diapers and baby food. good times.

hope everyone has a great Easter. He is Risen!

call me 'admiral andy'....

6:30 came and went this morning and there was no phone call and no knock on the door...

i guess that means that i'm officially an amsterdam admiral!

supposedly they were supposed to call you or come knock on your door if you were traded or going home. i got neither, so here i am...

camp was quick. i was surprised by how fast it went by. now it's over and we are flying out this evening. my bags are all packed up and ready to go, just have to square a few things away. i'll be keeping up on here with what's going on over there. it should be some good times...

i can't wait for kristie and caleb to get over there. i'm so excited to see them! it's been way too long. caleb has a doctor appointment on monday. i'm sure that he's getting bigger while i'm away. kristie has been sending me pictures on my phone and you can just tell... he's getting more hair, his face is different. i'm glad that they get to come over.

pray for safe travel for me today. and pray for kristie and caleb as they get ready to leave to come over.

oh yeah, i almost forgot...
the house is done. we closed last friday. the mortgage is payed and we are all packed up and in storage. the galant is loaded down with as much stuff as it could carry. it would have been nice to have the tahoe but God answers prayer and we don't have to worry about any of those payments now and we were able to pay both of them off when we sold them. He gives and takes away.

kristie and my's relationship is better and better as we push through this period. God has spoken to us and shown us things. we are prayer better and our relationships with Christ are better because of it.

ok, everyone take it easy. my next post will be from AMSTERDAM!!!!!!!! or london if they have free WiFi in the airport. later'

getting ready to fly...

well, camp has been going well. we had a really good scrimmage yesterday. we are getting ready to leave for Amsterdam next Sunday. Kristie had been packing up and getting ready to close on the house. we turn it over next Friday. Kristie will be staying with family until she and Caleb come over to be with me. i miss them. it's been a couple weeks now. and it will be a couple weeks until i see them again.

check out nfleurope.com

and check out Ezekial 3:18 while your reading today.

Chillin'

Chillin'
Originally uploaded by thefatrat.

this is the little man looking cool as can be, relaxing at home. he is so hip!