Life in Leiden . . .in two days

Dan made it to Holland!!! After a loooong flight (due to a delay on the tarmac), a missed flight out of Dublin to Amsterdam, and one lost piece of luggage, he is snug safely in his bed at the Golden Tulip. He went to work today and got to meet his research team. For those who aren't sure what Dan is doing(this will be a test to see if he's reading this and to see if can get it right!), he is working on his PhD and will be doing research for a professor. The research consists of finding out what happens when two black holes merge...apparently they should become a "supermassive blackhole" but that doesn't happen and they are trying to figure out why. So he and some other guys will be working on that for the next 4 years and he'll be writing his dissertation on that. He will NOT have to teach classes or take classes and he gets paid to do it! He is technically an employee of the Dutch government. He will have an office(that he shares) at Leiden University.
So far since being there, he has not eaten any native food...i know, i'm not sure how he's gone 2 days without eating but that's him for ya! so we'll see how the food is. he saw a pizza shop on his way home tonight so i'm sure that will make it's way into his stomach real soon. He did go look at a possible room to rent that was nice and cheap but upon arriving, the girl renting it changed the terms so it was a no go. Hopefully he can find a cheap room and keep saving money so we can have a place to  live when i come over!!!
He promises me pictures this weekend so i'll post some real pictures then!

Fly Away

Dan left today. We have spent the last few days/weekend doing "Americana" type things. You would not believe how difficult it is to really find things that are American. Anything we would want to eat, from a different country. We were able to go bowling, enjoy beer, watch a ball game, eat steak n shake and go mini-golfing! That was about the extent we could think of! How sad! 

Anyways, Dan is currently flying somewhere over Canada, heading to Dublin from Chicago and then on to Amsterdam. He should arrive tomorrow at 12:30 their time, 5:30am our time. The next week or so will be crazy as far as communication goes. He is staying at a 4 star hotel (thank you university of Leiden! see pic above) . Hopefully everything will run smoothly and he will start work on Thursday!!!
In the meantime, it's time for me to go into full wedding planning/packing for the Netherlands mode to keep myself busy. Hopefully these next 12 weeks will go by very quickly. And then we can get married and move to Leiden! Hopefully there will be more pictures of the actual city we'll be living in to come after Dan arrives!!!

May 24, 2010 at 4:45 P.M.

That is the official date and time that Dan will be leaving for Leiden. :( :) A lot of mixed emotions happening right now. I'm sitting in my room listening to love songs on youtube. Meagan is probably weirded out for two reasons. 1. I don't really just hang out and listen to music and 2. It's after 11, usually my light is off and I'm headed to dreamland. Anyways, I'm happy he's going to get over there and get started in his job and get oriented to the country. This whole process has just been a constant reminder that God knows best! I would probably have an anxiety attack if I was moving to a different country and didn't know where I was going to be living when I got there. My heart is fluttering right now just thinking about it. But Dan is perfect for this adventure. The boy slept in his office for a few months for crying out loud! But it will be nice for him to get there, find housing for us, figure out the city a little bit so we are not like the blind leading the blind when I get there!

And obviously I'm sad that he's leaving. I think both of us really thought this day would never come. The whole time we've dated (7 years), we've never been apart this long. But what makes it even worse is that Leiden is 7 hours ahead of us so coordinating phone call (skype) times are going to be tricky. But I am thankful technology has advanced so much, at least in this area.

So this weekend will be full of "Amercican things" that Dan won't be able to do for 4 years! Things like...driving, Wal-Mart, and non-socialist ideas:)

Getting to Holland

Well, Dan is still trying to get out of the US. His visa should arrive this week and he was planning on leaving Thurs or Friday but now the British airports are closed again due to this giant ash cloud. Also, if he leaves next week (Tues, the 24) then his flight will be about $1000 cheaper. But I know he is ready to get there and get started and see what this European business is all about!
We have him moved out of his apartment and have a subleaser living there now! That is a huge blessing. We're also trying to see my car so if you know anyone who wants a 2007 honda civic, shoot me an email!

Hmm, also, this is a test to see who actually reads this blog!:) I know my friend Libby is a faithful reader but OTHERS are questionable:) It's not too exciting until we get over to Holland, so i suppose everyone is forgiven ;)

Wedding planning is coming along great! The only major things left are finalizing the cake, music, and flowers! We're thinking of doing an ipod/computer wedding. Has anyone done anything like that before or have any suggestions, that would be awesome!!!

It's here!!!!

Dan received word that his visa was approved! So he goes to Chicago on Tuesday to get his visa. It will take 3 days to process the visa and then they will overnight it to him. So...this means he is looking to leave the week of May 17!!!:(  I think it is all setting in and becoming real now!!! This will be the longest in our 7 year relationship that we've been apart! But I keep telling myself it's only for 12 weeks and then we will be together the rest of our lives! Plus i'm excited for one of us to get over there and see what it's like.

In other news, I ordered 2 books today on the Netherlands  http://www.awcthehague.org/athomeinholland.php and Dutch for Dummies! I have been communicating with some families in Holland who are from America and have made similar transitions. These are some of the books they recommended that really helped their transition. More on those families later.

So for now, trying to enjoy our last few weeks together and getting him packed and ready to head for the low country:)

Oh Visa where art thou?

Well, Dan is still here. I am very thankful for that. He was supposed to leave last Friday but his visa has not come through. He was supposed to be at "Advanced School" for the next 3 weeks but alas, he is still in America. I think we are both in an in-between stage now, constantly waiting for the email that says his visa has come through and then packing his bags to head overseas. I'm so glad we have had this extra time to spend together but I  know he is eager to get over there and stake out life for us prior to my arrival!

In other news, the wedding planning is coming along nicely! There are not many more big details to be taken care of! I picked up my wedding dress today! Who knew it would be in a week after I ordered it? It's still as beautiful as ever and I love it even more in white(they only had ivory in the store). We got our engagement pictures back and Dan's cousin has graciously offered to do our Save the Dates for us! It's been amazing and a total God thing how this wedding has come together! Everything has worked out perfectly and smoothly!