Happy New Year!

We are now back in Hoofddorp after a fantastic road trip through France. We'll be flying to Scotland tonight, and sleep in our own beds after three and a half weeks away. I now have the daunting task of reporting on our ten very full days on the road… it might take a while, but I promise to chronicle our trip in detail! So here goes…

I mentioned in the previous post that I imagined our dinner would last into the new year. Happily, I was right!  My mom likes to know what her kids eat when they’re not at home, so this is for her: we had baked brie topped with mango chutney, bread, and sausage as an appetizer, followed by lamb chops and greek salad, then steak and roast potato, pepper & onion. Brendan was responsible for most of this, while I made chocolate cake with caramel sauce for dessert. The meal was washed down with generous amounts of wine, rum & eggnog (Gladys’ homemade eggnog – I can now never go back to the sludgy store bought stuff!), and champagne. We began eating around 9pm and were still eating at 2am (with breaks between courses, naturally!).

Gladys & Carlo had told us that people around here (and elsewhere in Holland) set off fireworks from their yards on New Year’s Eve. We didn’t realize they meant nearly everyone participates in this activity for hours! I’ve never seen such a spectacular fireworks display. B and I were so excited we ran out onto the street with our champagne and laughed like little kids, watching the lights and shouting at one another over the deafening noise. It was awesome! I took a few pictures but they didn’t turn out – I guess a particular technique and the right kind of lens is required to capture fireworks. I thought of Danny and how much he would have loved this show – and imagined Maeve and William loosing their minds with excitement! It was very special to share this moment with my husband – a fantastic beginning to a year full of promise. When we had exhausted ourselves laughing & shouting outside, we went back in, skyped home to talk to family & friends gathered for the annual Cogan Ranch New Year’s Eve Party, had our delicious chocolate cake, and went to bed happy.

We decided this year to establish a family New Year’s Eve tradition of reflecting together on the blessings of the past year and sharing what we look forward to in the coming year. There was so much to be grateful for in 2010: our first year of marriage, each finishing a degree, all the wonderful people in our lives, having the opportunity to travel… and of course, the arrival of our precious little son. Liam has definitely made 2010 one of the most monumental years of our lives so far! As for the future, we are both looking forward to the next 4 ½ months in Stirling, doing a bit more travelling, then going home to Canada and making new plans for the future… these are exciting times for both of us, as we build a life together and enjoy our blossoming family, and we look forward with hope and anticipation to what lies ahead.

The delectable little shortbread cookies Gladys & I made on Dec 31st (following Grandma's recipe) 

Little buddy fell asleep in Daddy's arms...

Flowers from my hubby to celebrate the new year

My attempt at photographing the fireworks... kind of pitiful really...
but now imagine the whole sky full of light and you'll get an idea of what we saw!