Taxipost

Today was a most wonderful day for many reasons. First of all, I discovered that, while there are many funny things in life, one of the most hysterical is this: (close your eyes, and picture if you will...) French rap. Add to it 3 teenage boys dressed in tight clothes dancing like telly tubbies. I about died laughing. The end.

Actually, not the end at all, because today I received Heaven in a box! Two days ago, I had a little letter on my stairs that, roughly translated, said I had missed a delivery for a package and I had 2 options: 1) Call and schedule a redelivery or 2) Go and pick it up myself. Well, being logical, I determined to call and reschedule a delivery. HA! The soonest they could come was in a week! Knowing what was in the package, I said "Heck no!" and went on another adventure to the Taxipost. I get off work at 6. They close at 7. I had directions to "Get off the metro stop Bizet and walk down the road." This is the kind of directions I get everywhere. They never tell you which of the 7 or 8 roads at the metro station to walk down. Just walk. Well, I found it, after asking a nice fellow who spoke "a leetle" English where in heavens name I was. I arrived to receive the goodness at 18:54 (6 minutes until they closed!) AAUGH!!! It was totally worth it. I savored every single bite of cookie and fudge on my way home!

It is also important to note that I shared. :) Jana had never even heard of a sugar cookie when I got here, so I was able to share the goodness with her and a few of her friends. They LOVED it! She was curious what all that stuff on the top was. (Frosting!) I never knew it was such an American cookie...

Anyway, that's a picture of me with my Box O' Goodness. Thanks Grama!

Results, Round 1

Just as an update, the blood test #1 results are in. Everything looked good. Shots for 10 more days, then onto the French version of Coumadin for 2-3 months. There are more blood tests in store. In fact, the doc gave me 3 of the test forms today, just so I wouldn't have to keep coming back for those alone. Delightful. :) Anyway, the doc seemed really pleased, and was very pleasant to work with. All in all, I am one very blessed girl!

Bruises and Bruges

Saturday has been quite the day! I don't think I've been this exhausted since the day I arrived! First of all, a quick update on the DVT: I go see the doctor and get the results from the blood tests on Monday. My bruise has become quite the display, though. Here's a picture! :) Pretty, huh?

Today, Jordan, Rachel, and I headed up via train to the coast of Northern Belgium. After arriving in Oostende, we took a tram to 3 different cities: Knokke, Blankenberge, and De Hann. This picture is in Blankenberge, my favorite of them all! This is on our walk to the North Sea!

Me, at the North Sea!

It was pretty windy while we were there. It is January and all... The water was cold, but I touched it anyway! If you look closely in this picture, you will notice the sand blowing across the ground. It was beautiful! Like clouds on the coast!

Shells on the beach of the North Sea.

After we had taken in the beauty of the sea, we headed back into Blankenberge. 

The cobblestone streets are only big enough for one car at a time. Very picturesque! 

We turned down one street in Blankenberge and this was our view. 

The cathedral was beautiful!

On our way in, we passed a little tea shop. I insisted we find it again, just so I could get a picture by it! Check out the name...

After our adventures up north, we headed to Bruges. Every single person I talked to that had been to Belgium before told me to go to this city before I went home! We met up with Mindaugas and James (both from church) in Bruges and walked around the city. This canal is walking from the train station to the city center.

This is a street in Bruges. It was like walking through a fairy tale, it was so beautiful!

Once we had arrived in the center of Bruges, we found a boat tour we could take for cheap! It was a fun little tour around the canal in Bruges. I love learning all the interesting facts. The tour guide said everything in Flemish (Dutch), French, and then English. I was very impressed. Bruges is one of the best preserved cities from medieval times. Many of the buildings were built in the 16-1700s! We passed the oldest bridge in Bruges built in the 14th century. Below is a building built in the 15th century. It was a place where the lords of the area would gather for market, or so the tour guide said... :)

City Hall in Bruges.

This is me with James (L) and Mindaugas (R)

More from Obelis...

The past few days here have been beautiful! Crisp, cold, and clear skies! By cold, I really mean only about 40 degrees, but it can feel chilly! :) I get to work via a 10 minute walk to a tram stop, and then straight on into the heart of the city. I took this picture Friday morning as I was on my way to work...

Here is the Obelis crew, minus Doram and Gideon. It was Wiki's last day. She goes back to Poland next week. Seated are Rachel (L) and Wiki (R) Standing Left to Right: Eduardo, Jordan, Sandra, Martine, Miguel, and Diana.

Here's a picture of Diana and I on our way home from Yoga Girl's Night. She and I had gone over to Rachel and Jordan's while he was at basketball. The 3 of us had quite the adventure admiring the DVD instructor's straight back and incredible flexibility... ;)

This week's adventure...

Well, as previously posted, I've got blood clots in my right leg. Exciting, I know. I decided what would this blog be without a few graphic images? :) I have successfully administered 5 shots in my very own stomach. The doctor told me to have a nurse show me how to do it the first time, so I would know what I was doing. I went to the hospital to have this done, and they wanted 51 euros for it! Thats nearly 75 US Dollars!!! I said heck no, and left! After finding the instructions on the internet for the approximate procedure I was participating in, I signed online and was very blessed to have my dad online! He hopped on Skype and talked me into giving myself the shot while he could watch! Well, with very excellent coaching from my dad, including songs (he's the best nurse ever!), I was successful in shooting myself! ;) Here is a picture of that wonderful moment! Notice my support crew on the computer. Not the best picture... Sorry Dad!

After a few days of shots, I've got some hickeys on my stomach. I took a picture, because I kind of enjoy bruises! :D

Also, for your pleasure and enjoyment, here is a picture of my swollen ankle/foot. It was the strangest swell I've ever seen... Don't worry, I will paint my toenails soon!

Some Recording Sessions are too Bizarre!

How to make squeaky cheese "squeak" without too much mouth noise...
Not so easy....

This recording is probably the strangest request in a long time. Not since the harmonica symphony, or the country singer laying on the floor to sing....have we had such a crazy experience recording. Karen says the hardest part was not spitting cheese on the floor.

Did you know Squeaky Cheese has to be fresh to squeak?

Christopher's All State

Someone uploaded an edited version of Christopher's All State Performance....
Enjoy (click on the above title to go there...)

Why can't side effects be like this....

After a google search of side effects of the shots Roxanne has to take, we decided life would be much more bliss if listed side effects were as follows:
1. More enjoyment of movies!
2. Better waffles
3. More energy in the day…
4. Eat all the waffles you want with no dietary effects whatsoever…
5. Work will only last 1 hour each day…
6. Boss will see it as 12 hours
7. Travel time from place to place will be reduced to the seagull approach…
(Remember jonathon livingston seagull?)
drumroll please....
Most important side effect…
8. Understanding all languages spoken!

Christopher's Eagle Court of Honor

A new kind of adventure...

As some of you are already aware, I've had a small bit of unexpected excitement, if you will... last Tuesday I started to have a very intense pain in my right calf. It was very consistent and hurt to the point of immobility at points. Friday night I noticed my ankle was swollen. This seemed a bit strange, as there was nothing that had happened to make it swell. to make a long story short, after a little bit of internet research, a blessing from the bishop, and a conversation with my parents Sunday night, I decided to go to a doctor. After many miracles, I was able to get into the doctor Monday night. The long and short of it is that I have a few small blood clots in my leg, most likely from the flight here. The risk is very minimal, as the clots have probably been there about 11 days. I was able to actually see the blood clots on the ultrasound machine used to diagnose the condition. It was pretty neat! Treatment will be as follows: I have to inject an anticoagulant under my skin, most likely into my stomach, twice a day for 1-2 weeks. After that, they will put me on an oral anticoagulant for about 3 months. The clots are not in the main artery in my leg, but a smaller one on the side. This will make it so I can go about my regular activities. I only have to wear a compression sock as I am moving around. I can take it off while I am sleeping. I go in to do some blood tests hopefully tomorrow so they can prescribe the correct amount of medication. Thanks to all who have been praying! I can't even begin to describe how much I have felt it. I'll keep you posted with any updates! Until then... au revoir! Look forward to more pictures from both sides of the world!!!

Karen's Birthday, cont....

Some crazy guy lighting candles and the b-day girl....

Christopher's Performance

It was a great concert... 

Music was beautiful, the hall was incredible...

(can you spot Christopher?)

Karen's Birthday Noodles, SLC

We went out after the concert to Noodles.  Some nice Aggies took our picture.  We were so tired when we arrived home, we fell asleep in our driveway, in the car....Glad it wasn't on the road!

We Temporarily interrupt....

Okay, as Roxanne has tons of fun in Belgium, we thought we'd bring you up to date with the rest of the clan....
Here's our house during the quiet moments of Christmas.

And then, there was All State Orchestra in Abrevenal Hall in SLC.... Yes, Christopher can play, too!

The Hague...

After we went to the temple, we decided we needed some food. In the Netherlands they have something Belgium doesn't: KFC. That's right. Since I've been to it in America maybe once, why not try it in Holland? It was actually pretty good... We found a parking spot and walked down cobblestone streets and past some very scenic buildings to get our tasty meal. Here are a few pictures from our stroll. Enjoy!

The Hague Temple!

Today I had the most wonderful opportunity to go to the Hague Temple in the Netherlands with the Brussels International Ward. I was able to do baptisms for the dead with several of the youth in the ward. I tried to learn all their names. I think I did a pretty good job. The test will be tomorrow when I see them all again! The temple was absolutely gorgeous. It is made of polished granite. It was raining pretty hard, so I wasn't able to walk around like I wanted to, but I got some really nice shots of it!
This picture with all the youth is also with the bishopric. I stayed with the Osorio family last night and rode up with them this morning. Brother Osorio is on the far right. Their family is very musical. The oldest daughter Elise is 17. She really wants to study theater at either BYU or USU. We got along great! She and her 13-year-old sister Ganae (said Juh-nay) sang several songs for me, accompanied by their mom, Teresa. (Please note, I almost put mother Teresa, but caught myself!) They are all very talented. It was a pleasure to listen to them!

Elise was kind enough to go out in the rain and take pictures with me! :)

This is me with Elise on the left and Ganae on the right.

Me, in front of the temple.

After work...

Here are some more pictures of Jana, my adorable apartment-mate. She and I get along really well. Today we went on a chocolate adventure. Pictured is my first Belgian chocolate. Silly, I know, but I had to post a picture! I am, after all, a chocolate lover! Jana is studying graphic design. She is very talented. It is such a blessing to have a roommate who you get along with so well! Thank heavens. Also, when I went grocery shopping the other day, I found "American Cookies." They even have a little Route 66 symbol on them. The best part of this story? They are made in Holland. :)

The Interns...

I get to work with a bunch of great people! There are a few interns still left! ;) Ehab, who I ate waffles with the other day, had to leave because of family issues. Eunice also left because of personal reasons. They were both from the University of Illinois. The have only been in Brussels about 2 weeks. We were all sorry to see them go. Diana and Eduardo are from Spain. They have been at Obelis since September. They will be done at the end of January. We have become very good friends very quickly.

Jordan and Rachel are from Utah State. I haven't got a picture of Rachel yet because she works on the 1st floor with Wiki (pronounced Vicki) from Poland. (Wiki is counting down her days left. She is done on January 25!) I will try to get pictures of them soon. Jordan and I are working on very similar things. He and Rachel are also going to be my travel buddies, so I'm sure there will be more pictures! Here's Jordan:

We all get along really well. It is nice to be friends with the other interns. Wiki taight me how to say "cool" in Polish. I can't spell it, but it sounds like "fiyne-yuh." They had to teach me that word because I said awesome way too often! ;)

Obelis

Well, I've been here long enough that I can maybe explain what it is that I'm doing here in Belgium. Obelis, the company where I am working, is run by an Israeli family that has moved to Belgium. The law in Israel is such that medical companies cannot export to other countries that are not Muslim countries. So, Obelis buys the product from them, slaps their name on it, and distributes it to the EU. That's it in a nut shell. It's really much more complicated, but to explain it would take words I don't know. My job is fairly complicated. I am in charge of a research project to form a new aspect of the company. I am also in charge of another branch. They have deemed me the "OLOS officer." I'm still trying to figure that one out. :) It is a really close-knit group of people. We work out of a house-turned -office. My favorite part is the stop where I get off the tram. These pictures are of Meiser station. One is what it looks like when I arrive (in the morning). The other is what it looks like when I leave at night. There are about 7 streets merging into one round-about. The drivers are crazy! They do stop for pedestrians. Throw in about 4 different tram tracks and 2 very randomly positioned stoplights and you have one of the craziest turn-abouts in Brussels! The tram is on the opposite side of the circle, so to get to work we get to walk around and witness this all!

Jour des gaufres

Day of the Waffle. That is the name of today. I had waffle number 3. Today, however, I decided to experience a waffle not so pure and holy. That's right. Today I bought a waffle with "Chocolat + Chantilly" which, translated directly, means chocolate and whipped cream. Holy goodness. We're talking heaven in a metro station! This thing was divine. I went with Ehab, another intern. We went on a waffle expedition. After walking through an, ahem, interesting part of town, we opted to try City2. There, at the Rogier metro station, was the most delicious smell. We followed our noses to Heaven. Incredible. Seriously. It was amazing!

Tonight I had FHE with another intern, Jordan, and his wife Rachel. It was nice. We sang a song and read a talk out of the Ensign. Then, we planned, planned, planned! We've planned with hope in our hearts! We've got some fun weekends ahead of us!  They live close to the Acr de Triomphe in the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels. It's basically King Leopold's declaration of his coolness... :) Anyway, I took a picture by it. Because I can. :)