Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving didn't really feel like Thanksgiving this year. Not surprising, given it's a US holiday, but I thought I might feel a bit sad or disappointed at the lack of pumpkin pie and my father's awesome stuffing. While I did miss the family time and the food a little, the day kind of passed as any other day might. I was quite thankful for a few of the things that happened yesterday, though.

1. I had the day off from school! Very glad for the break. I actually slept later than Bob, for once!

2. Bob went to hang out with some of our friends from Rotterdam in Amsterdam. I am very thankful that he is finding his way here (not that I had any doubts) and is enjoying living here as much as I am.

3. I did some light shopping with one of my new friends. It's nice to have some girl time.

4. Got to come home, park it on the couch, drink coffee, and watch crappy US television online. In the middle of the day!

5. Had a lovely dinner with two great ladies. Plenty of wine and great conversation. Again, nice to have some girl time.

6. I'm very thankful that Bob and I have the chance to live here and meet all the wonderful people we've been fortunate enough to get to know so far.

7. Got to say a Thanksgiving hello to my family by Skype and phone. I am thankful for modern technology at times like these.

Our Big Purchase

As an overseas hire, my school applied for me to receive a tax benefit called the 30% Ruling here in the Netherlands. From my limited understanding, 30% of my income is untaxed, so I get to keep more of my money, especially since I will still have to pay some taxes in my home country. So, my 30% Ruling came through in October and my paycheck was a bit bigger... and I also received back pay for my first two months of work. What does one do with "extra" money like that? Well, spend it!

Our "was-droogcombinatie" is a thing of beauty. Part-washer and part-dryer, it does twice the work and takes up half the space of a regular appliance. We got a good deal and it was also delivered and installed. The model we picked, the least expensive one, was actually the evil machine that locked up my laundry (described in an earlier post). This time I have an English manual that tells me what I need to do to get the appliance to do my bidding. Really looking forward to doing laundry in my own apartment instead of sneaking it into school! In truth, the school was fine with it but I was slightly sheepish about it. I felt a bit like a bag lady carting my huge blue Ikea bag to school and skulking up the stairs into the Life Skills room to quickly toss in a load before my day started.