Meneer En Mevrouw

09/18/21

‘…Going to the chapel, and we’re, gonna get married, going to the chapel …’

… or in this case, not ‘we’, but ‘they’, and in a converted barn and outdoor ceremony space, not a chapel. You get the idea though 😉

Packing and wedding preparing took up the morning, and then we were off on the two some hour drive to the wedding location in Groningen, where our cousin was going to be tying the knot. 
We ended up getting to the area a little earlier than expected, so we found some coffee and a cookie to hold us over until after the ceremony.

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It was humorous to us that the ‘to go’ cup proudly stated ‘I’m a big, hot cup’ when it was very clearly, ‘a small little cup’ in our Canadianized eyes 🤪
But that’s fine, and the white chocolate chip with macadamia nuts was actually really tasty 👌🏻

At the wedding location, Lake was more than ready to be out of his car seat and or stroller, walking with anyone who’d take him. Though going to anyone who’s willing to have him, has NOT been a problem whatsoever this trip 🤪

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He and I watched the groom arrive in a vintage mustang, and the bride exit the building, from a little seating area, away from the actual event.
He finally settled down and stopped his possibly unwelcome noises, once he found a stick to scratch the dirt with 🤪 
Daddy came for us, saying the announcer had said the kids were welcome to be decently free, since it was a smaller, mostly family wedding, with many of whom, had many small children 😅🙈 So, the stick held him over for a while, then his distant cousin the row in front of us and finally, the baby’s breath decorating the chair, is what took over in the area of distraction until the ceremony ended 😬

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‘Meneer en Mevrouw Ezra Hagenouw’, were announced 💗🎶💐 

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We were then dismissed, and the greetings began as everyone slowly made their way into the open courtyard area for the cutting and eating of the cake. 
That is when Lake and I again took our exit, as nap time was due.

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After sometime, the pleasant weather and jostling of the walk had its way, and Lake entered dreamland.
There wasn’t really anywhere to leave him that would be easily accessible/not loud, so I sat with him outside…catching up on blog writing while I had a moment. 
(While also trying to ignore my belly’s disappointment at missing out on the cake 🤪)
45 minutes later, his little nap ended and then his oma took over 😉

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Weddings in Holland generally have servers roaming about, taking drink orders, clearing away old ones. It’s such a nice  feature that makes it feel that extra bit of special. Though that could just be my perception of it since it’s not something I’ve ever experienced at a wedding at home 😋

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Chatting amongst the everyone passed the time until dinner was served, at which time Lake become our charge again, and we happily partook of the meal ☺️
An ice cream cart was presented come dessert time.

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Meanwhile, I’m not sure where Lake really was or what he was doing, but I assume he was for the most part with either his oma or opa 😅🙈 It was a smaller wedding and Mike was related to, or friends with almost all who were in attendance, so it was a nice place for Lake to mingle.

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He is also the one responsible for the destruction of this hay bale…

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These are the only ‘us’ pictures that were captured.

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The wedding moved into the enclosed side of the building as evening came and brought a chill with it.

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The time for speeches, slideshows and games thus began. 
Lake’s patience was waning but another nap via the stroller wasn’t going to be an option, as he knew not to fall for such trickery again 🤪

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Finally, the night drew to an end, and we drove a couple of minutes to the home of some family we’d be staying with over the weekend.

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Lake succumb to sleep the moment we drove out of the parking lot and stayed that way as we deposited him into the crib in our room…

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Jem Moment – A Fantastic Photo Album

So we received our wedding photo album (weeks and weeks ago, this is just a late post 😜) which I created using MixBook and we are super happy with it!!

I signed up with them and yes, got a lot of emails but many of which included pretty decent sales.

I was able to get the highest quality paper AND flat lay option for cheaper than their lower quality book at regular price 💁🏻👌🏻

They also shipped to us in a fairly short amount of time ☺️

What I’m saying is a recommend using them 😎

Here are some page peeks 😊 Continue reading “Jem Moment – A Fantastic Photo Album”

What Instagram Doesn’t Tell You About Marriage

*Forewarning – a lengthy post about marriage…written by someone who has not been married very long.

 

 

 

 

 

I heard on a podcast  ~Jeff And Alyssa  ~  how, we as individuals, are so very deeply shaped by our families that understandably, it creates what OUR normal is.

Which of course, the people who raised/taught/nurtured us, shapes our outlooks and perceptions of life.

The podcast brought out more in-depth how coming together in marriage, can be tricky because of those expectations, rules, actions etc. that are more often than not, probably unspoken.

So much so, that we may not even realize we have them as expectations or habits, but it’s how we were raised and what is ingrained in us.

Mikes ‘normal’ reaction and my ‘normal’ reaction, can sometimes be very different than each others and it’s a hard thing to step back and think, ‘ok, why did I react that way, maybe it actually doesn’t ‘matter’, or is it just what I’m used to?’

I thought it was an interesting aspect to share with you’s 😊💁🏻

 

Being married is a lot about expectations – unspoken, spoken or contrived from everything around us.

 

I expected, (thanks to most man/woman jokes about marriage) that I would be the blanket hog and need all the space in bed… but no, that would be my husband.

The one I wake up beside, shivering on my one inch of mattress, while he’s sprawled out in a blanket kingdom😜

Continue reading “What Instagram Doesn’t Tell You About Marriage”

The Beginning Of Buoyancy

Sunday Sept 17th –

It was a preacher from New York City speaking that morning and he gave (me) much to think about.

One thing really stuck in my mind and that was this, ‘we spend too much time looking at what satan is doing and not enough time looking at what God is doing’.

He didn’t go into detail on those thoughts but I personally thought about how we do talk about all the bad things happening and ‘poor us or whomever else and look what so and so did’ etc.

How often do we talk about what amazing things have happened to us or those we know and how we have seen the grace of God around us?

 

After church, we stood outside visiting in the gross heat for a while before driving over to the couple who had invited Mike and I and his parents over for lunch.

As much as I tried to enjoy and or, appreciate the heat, knowing winter doth knock back home…it was really very hard to do while standing on black asphalt with no breeze in +40 and up temperatures 😬

We got to enjoy a delicious meal of pork chops, chicken, salads, bread, casserole style potatoes and a beverage of peppermint tea.

I overindulged and the belt I wore, protested😜

After visiting there for the afternoon, we followed our current hosts, to the next place we were all invited, where sweet treats and more visiting took place ☺️

After Mike and I grew tired of ‘the adult people’ (😉) we drove over to the house of the friends we’d eaten with during the week.

Getting in even MORE dessert and enough coffee at that point, that we were beginning to feel buoyant 😜

 

 

 

 

Monday Sept 18th – Continue reading “The Beginning Of Buoyancy”

Simultaneously With And Without, A Hitch

Saturday Sept 9th –

 

 

 

Early Saturday morning, we had a guest stay with us for a couple of hours 😏



The newly arrived niece wasn’t tired at all, so we took her for a little while in hopes of giving her parents a chance to sleep but I don’t think it really helped 😜

 

Once morning dawned, I was pressed into service.

Hair doing of the grandmother of the groom, mother of the groom and sister of the groom fell to me, as well as doing my own hair 😋

So the morning passed quickly and then a breakfast spread put out by the sister whose house we stayed at, enjoyed 🍴

 

Some left for rehearsal, some to shop, all having time to pass until the wedding began later that afternoon.

A snack was of course, mandatory 😉

 

Some hasty wardrobe changing took place at the hotel/venue and then we (the family of the groom) went out for some group photos before settling in and finding our seats to await the ceremony’s beginning.

 

How to spot the European men via footwear and pant color only 😉

 

The ceremony began and there were a few humorous moments, a few serious and in the end they were wed and the new ‘Mr and Misses’ presented.

 

Much like most weddings 😏😉😋

 

We thought the time between would be spent chilling at a coffee shop or some such, but by the time all Mikes acquaintances were said hello to, introduced to me and caught up on how he was liking Sask and how we were doing etc… it was reception time 😏

We found our prime seating spots at the reserved, table number one and thus got to eat first… and also wait years for seconds 😋

 

But it was enjoyed, we were served drinks, given stroopwafels as favours (like Mike and I had at our wedding 😉) and the volume level rose to that of a building filled with a couple hundred people 😏

The flowers and decorating were done up nicely with an air of simple sophistication, yet still keeping a looseness about, hinting of fairy tales 😉

 

Speeches, songs, photos and all the things some of the couples most treasured people do, were done and then a typical, sparkler send off.



✨👰🏼👱🏼💕

 

 

After the Hubster’s visiting finally wrapped up and all family members returning to Anthem area were gathered, we called it the end of a successful day and headed back to our house.

The family grew by one and all were thankful for the day having gone without a hitch, accept the hitching that was supposed to be done of course 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Sept 10th –

 

 

How lovely it is when a wedding hairdo withstands not only the day of the event, but holds up enough for the day after 😊😜👌🏻

After having wedding favour stroopwafels for breakfast, we filled the van once again and headed to church.

 

 

During pre service, the late night the evening before was causing drooping eyes and overly relaxed postures (I speak for myself)…but thankfully the sleep symptoms disappeared once the service began 😉👌🏻

After church, we went out to eat lunch.

I’d planned on advising everyone to go to a highly recommended Mexican place but it wasn’t accepted and instead a make your own burrito type place was went to 😏😜

Where the long line had Mike and I quickly turn and go to the restaurant next door to order, eat and finish eating, before the others were even halfway through their ordering line 🙈

 

An iced caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso was ordered to battle the post wedding tired/headache and then to the house for a lovely nap 😴



An evening walk was taken with my mother-in-law and littlest niece and some of the sunset watched from the golf green surrounding where we are staying ⛳️😜




We may or may not have sat on the putting green to rest a little and the mother-in-law may or may not have said that if someone came and told us that what we were doing wasn’t allowed, she would speak in Dutch 😂😋

 

The hubster and father-in-law brought back pizza for our supper and it was delicious in all of its bready, greasy, cheesy goodness.

 

Jem Moment: Suggestions Took… And Disobeyed

At our wedding, we had guests write down something we should do for an adventure, things to add to our bucket list so to speak 😊

I found the cards while unpacking and we went through them and found the ones we’ve managed to check off so far (and a few we didn’t listen to 100% 😜) and thought I’d share 😊

Now, some of you didn’t sign your names, if you see a card that’s yours, please let us know! 😄

 

 

Starting off with this card from… oh that’s right, we don’t know who 😏
I do believe this blog counts as a journal 😉👌🏻

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Continue reading “Jem Moment: Suggestions Took… And Disobeyed”

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