{"id":3759,"date":"2015-01-12T15:04:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T14:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bakkerbugle.com\/blog\/?p=3759"},"modified":"2015-01-12T15:04:05","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T14:04:05","slug":"random-happenings-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bakkerbugle.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/12\/random-happenings-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Random Happenings 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

While writing has never been a pleasure for me, I have enjoyed creating these Random Happenings posts. I hope those reading at home have also enjoyed hearing a bit about our routine life in 2014. I plan to continue in 2015 if for no other reason than to remind myself about all the things that happen, both large and small.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately I did not manage to write the detailed posts on various topics I promised in 2014. I have hopes to manage one or two, but my track record says to not get excited about those anytime soon. We\u2019ll see if I do better in 2015. <\/p>\n

We started November with an unusual experience, as we biked with our friend Dave. While biking and friends is not unusual, this particular set of circumstances made it special. Dave lives in the Chicagoland area and he had traveled to Germany for a business trip. Will and I drove over to his hotel with three bikes and we enjoyed a long and cold ride around western Germany. It was fun to be with Dave as he experienced more European cycling, although the weather could have been a bit better.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The second weekend in November we attended our fifth Marine Corps Birthday Ball. We always have a great time at the ball and this year was no different. We were sad that several friends were unable to attend, due to the fact they had moved away from Luxembourg or were out of town.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In mid-November we departed Luxembourg for our annual trip back to the US. With the exception of one trip a couple years ago, our travel to the US has been mostly uneventful – which is exactly how you want it. However, our flight to Chicago this year had a very unusual event. We had to turn around for a medical emergency and make an unscheduled landing in Amsterdam. In order to land, the plane had to dump fuel. We circled over the North Sea for a bit to get rid of the fuel, then we landed at Schiphol. The plane taxied out to a remote spot in the airport and the emergency vehicles joined us there. From my seat, I had a great view of all the action. The passenger in medical distress was off the plane and into an ambulance in short order. However, the refueling took about 45 minutes. All in all, we landed only 2.5 hours later than scheduled. The crew did a great job of keeping us updated about what was happening and about how long it would take. We hope the passenger is doing much better now.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our time in the US was a whirlwind but we had a great time. We had 1.5 weeks in Lake County, which allowed me some quality time at the office plus as many meet-ups with friends as we could manage. The second week was spent with family, first downstate with my family and then with Will\u2019s family in Cook County. It was different this year, since Will\u2019s parents moved from the St. Louis area to the Chicago area. Not just different, but much better!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We returned to Luxembourg at the beginning of December. We had barely gotten over our jet lag before we said goodbye to another friend who was leaving Luxembourg. It takes a special guy to throw his own going away party, but Tim did it in style. We wish him great luck and fortune in his next location. <\/p>\n

The next day, we headed up to the Netherlands to meet our friend Jaime. She was flying in for a meeting and had a couple free days, which meant we had some time for fun in the NL. We showed her around Amsterdam on Saturday, ending the day with dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. The weather could not have been better for sightseeing.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Sunday, the weather was not nearly as nice. Jaime decided that seeing the windmills of Kinderdijk would be more fun than anything else we could come up with. Kinderdijk holds a special place in our hearts, as it is where Will\u2019s family lived prior to immigrating to the US. The weather wasn\u2019t much better there, but we still had a great time. It was the first time I had been to Kinderdijk since 2004 so I enjoyed the visit nearly as much as Jaime!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of many reasons I enjoy spending December in Luxembourg are the Christmas markets<\/a>. I enjoy our market in Luxembourg for the food and convenience but I also enjoy traveling to other spots. The best part about the market to me is going with friends. One Friday night we met friends at the Lux market for dinner and visiting. We enjoyed catching up, while walking around with our gluhwein. Will even tried the one that they set on fire!
\n