The boy who never wanted to get a haircut...

May coming to its end...

I`m probably not the only one finding time racing by, without me half noticing that it is.. It`s crazy how it seems to run even faster `sitting` here at home, not allowed to go to work. Days just dissapear like snow melting in the sun..
I can`t believe June is standing at the door.. Waiting to burst in.
Hopefully with June, a little bit of Summer also.

Tomorrow is an exiting day. Lukas`s last unmarried sister will get married for time and all eternity. We really hope they will have the day of their lifes and that summer will set in a little bit earlier than june for them :-) We have tried to help organize some things for the wedding and hope everything will go smoothly...

My knee is doing better / getting stronger everyday. Twice a week I visit a very good physiotherapist and she is also happy with me, and ofcourse about the way I do my excercises everyday. Ahum. I must say, I can`t wait to get rid of the crutches in about 2 weeks! Even though these stupid crutches are teaching me so much lessons at the moment.. Especially PATIENCE!
Things just go ten times as slow as normally, and I just don`t manage to get everything done that is on my list each day.
But that is one thing that the crutches are trying to teach me. That just that, isn`t so bad. There`s always the next day. And the next. And still nothing bad happens if it takes ANOTHER day!!
I am totally in one huge learning process here (who would have thought a little, tiny, nasty, meniscus would be able to bring that to pass!) but it is showing me things I didn`t know before and I obviously need to learn. I guess we all get our wake up calls once in a while...! Watch out! Especially when we expect it the least!

During the process of helping out with my sister`s in law`s wedding, I found some awesome pictures of Lukas in his younger years.. This was when we made a powerpoint presentation, with pictures of her when she was a kid.
Ofcourse little Lukas was spotted as one of the cuttest little snuggers in the family pictures.. ;-) (But that`s just my coloured opinion)
I did not ask permission to post them.. but I will ;-) Once he get`s home from home teaching:-)

Furthermore, there isn`t a lot of exiting news.. My first check-up after the belly OP was yesterday, and my gynecologist was sufficient happy with me and told me that everything looked allright. Endometriosis/Adenomyosis = gone for now. That sounded pretty good, I think!
I learned that it is pretty exausthing to be traveling with the strength of your arms and one legg, and I underestimated the (travel to the) visit. Even if it was just in Lucerne, partly by bus, partly by `walking`. But I`m glad that my body keeps telling me when I need to slow down. I think I need that, or something!!??!?!

I wish Josien, Richard and Jared all the best moving this weekend. I wish I could be there to do something, anything..! Good luck to all of you saturday... !

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend with lots and lots and lots of sunshine!
Maaike


Showing new haircut
















THE Bracebrace...

Home again...

Roof app. is ours








(right kitchen-and left bedroom windows)

After living at my parents in law`s for two weeks, I returned home last saturday. I have been taking care of fabulously, but are happy to be home again.
We took some pictures of our appartment to show you what `home` looks like.
I am really going to miss this place and the Lucerne area and ward when we leave here in August. It has felt like home since the moment we went looking for appartments (this was the first app. we checked out), and we were so happy we were the lucky ones to become it.
It is not completely sure yet where we will be living in the Bern province, but I`m sure we will find a place that can feel like home once more.. !
It will most probably be in the neighbourhood where Lukas spent the last 15 years of his live, but where exactly we will soon hear. I`ll keep you posted!
I found a picture of when my mom was there to visit me at the hospital. She was there every day, the 5 days that I spend there for my belly surgery. Lukas made me a paper flower (the yellow one) and a nurse had just brought me a warm bag of cherry-pits, which really helps and releaxes when you have belly pains..
I went to the hospital to get something removed from my belly, but with that bag of cherrypits, it sure looks like they put something INTO my belly!
:-) LOL
Right now, there are some heavy thunderstorms outside. I promised Lukas not to go take a walk by myself, because when it`s wet outside the crutches get really slippery and slide away just when you think you need them to support you. Thats when you stand on your leg your not supposed to stand on, yup.. not good. It happened to me last week and it better not happen again...
So I`ll soon write more!


Hospital.. ?!Not what it looks like :-)











Kitchen












Tadaaaa! Kitchen







Bedroom (quilt made by Karin L.)












Bedroom










The living room














Living room other side

It's been a while...

But let's just put it this way; life has been to 'busy' to keep up on blogging.. So let's try again to keep you all updated since I will have more than enough time in the coming weeks to inform you all about our life in Switserland.
Posting pictures will have to wait a while since I am now staying at my parents in law and my camera is back at our house. (But I found some `oldy`s` here in the computer!)
SO.. where to start; February was an 'ups and downs' month where my brother got married and Lukas and I stayed in Holland for a short while, that was ofcourse great. It was still cold there (snow everywhere) but the sun was shining and Michiel and Melina looked beautifull.
March came around and on the 4th we celebrated my birthday, my first as a married woman:) I was spoiled greatly as Lukas took me out for dinner and arranged a real `Birthday-table.` (A tradition in his family). The table wrapped in beautiful shiny wrapping paper, on top the presents also wrapped and spread in between some candy (healthy candy ofcours, dried bananas/apples, healthy bars etc) and even a cake incl. candles! Pictures of the B-day girl:













































April brought some new 'adventures'... Lets just put it this way; I've been drugged enough for a life time and am staying at Lukas parents place for a little while since I have a recovery of 6-8 weeks wherein I am supposed to really not do much else than rest... My knee (outer Meniscus) has been a 'weak spot' since I started playing soccer, and after they operated on it in the Netherlands in 2001 it always kept hurting. Figures that they messed up my knee even more (finally discovered here in Switserland) and now hopefully they fixed it well. It hurt so bad though, when the Meniscus was locked in again. I was glad I wasn`t really awake anymore when the two ambulance brothers carried me down our stairs and (appearantly) I still screamed with every knee movement..
Two operations one the week after the other(together lasting 4 hours), the 1st planned, the 2nd NOT planned, wore me out. I am very grateful we can stay with my inlaws for a while, because doing stairs is not my most stable thing right now with crutches, and since there is 8 big stairs in our appartment in Lucerne... ! I`m glad for the company also. They take me out for walks in my wheelchair like an old old lady:-) and are taking great care of me.
So lets just say that after all these weeks of 'resting' that are in store for me now I hope to become a better blogger ;)
Ohw; and Lukas is great; he works hard on his internships and ofcourse is a little messed up too since he knows how hard his wife can scream (I'm sure he will hire a 'stand-in' if I ever are in labor)



The waters of Amsterdam...


At the beach in Lemmer about a year ago







Engaged (note the RING:-) Autumn 2008
(haha lukas probably told me here: Okay this is the LAST picture where I`ll try to smile!)





In the bijkeuken after church about two years ago?..

Snowbo..-falling

My first snowboard experience!!! Too bad I dont manage to download the film where I keep falling down.. :) Can someone explain to me how that works? Downloading a small movie? Thanks!

ga schlittle

`The amazing Tree`






Trainpictures, on our way to and...


...from the Christmas celebration

Slayriding? I`m not sure what it`s called in English but that doesn`t really matter. It was LOADS of fun, that`s what matters! We were invited by some friends, also a young married couple (Brandy and Andy) to go and have some fun in the snow. They just bought a slay and we were able to borrow one (incl. steering wheel and brakes!)
We went to a place called `Sörenberg` http://www.soerenberg.ch/bahnen/ and saw lots of Dutch cars (and people) -Dutch Swiss-snow-lovers- there.
We took the slay `road` and had so much fun that we walked half way up again after reaching the finish, to slide down a second time. Having fun like little children! Halfways we discovered a tree covered with snow, so beautiful and worth posing for.
It snowed the whole time, and by the time we came back in Luzern we discovered it had snowed there too! : Bigtime! Everything was covered in about 20-25 cm of snow and last sunday, the 20th, the coldest temperatures this winter were measured in luzern: -19 C. Very exiting and most of all: So beautiful!
After church we took the train to Lukas`s ant, and celebrated Christmas there with the whole Maerki family. It was nice but also a bit confusing to meet up with all of the ants, unle`s, cousins and grandchildren. I`m still not sure who`s a child of who but I`ll figure that out some time.. :) Back in the train we took another picture because we forgat to take pictures at the Christmas celebration.. (Might have helped me keeping all of the families apart but unfortunately we forgat;)
We had a very nice time there and the weekend was over already..
Today at school the kids sold our last handcreme and we learned that the `Every Cent Counts`- action at the Radio/Television, brought in over 7 million Franks in Switserland for Malaria!!! Fantastic news.
I have to go, we wish everyone a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

December & Malaria...

View from our living room (Mountains!!)



Wow.. already halfway december! Time flies!!! I notice with our fulltime jobs it`s hard to keep track of time. At school there are so many wonderfull preparations for Christmas going on, and I am enjoying the atmosphere this decembermonth at work every day. Unfortunately exept for the Christmas tablecloth Sinterklaas (my mom) gave me when I was in Holland, there isn`t much Christmas in our home yet! But soon I will have time to get into our attic and find our Christmas box somewhere!
Being back home, even if it was just for a very short time, was wonderful. It was so nice to meet my family and be able to find everyone healthy. I enjoyed it very much.

Also, my calling as a nursery (?) Sunbeam teacher is going very well. We almost made it to `remove`:) all of the parents from class and my 3 two-year-olds are being so nice to me- they didn`t even cry! And they are listening so well.. I hope it`s not just my weird accent that they`re fascinated with, and they won`t turn into disobedient children in a few weeks- but I`m really proud of them.

At work, at school, the teenagers in our class were very busy the past week producing handcreme or lotion. The Swiss television and radio have recently started a huge project called: `Jeder rappe zaehlt` which basicly means, every cent counts.
http://www.jrz.ch/www/de/drs3/jeder-rappen-zaehlt/155091.event.html
With this project they are collecting money for the many many people who suffer because of Malaria (about a million people, especially young children, still die because of Malaria each year)!
Dutch radio has participated in similar projects this for the past 3 years now, and now CH copied this. 3 Radiomoderators live in a glass box in the middle of city and shopping center Bern. They make radio there, don`t eat for a whole week and people can donate money by requesting songs that they in turn pay at least CHF 10,- for. Some people donate CHF 100,- in turn for hearing their favorite song at the radio!

So our class participated in producing and selling handcreme. Within 1 day all of our handcreme was sold, so we have to make some making more, but the kids gathered 750,- Franks already!! Isn`t that great? They worked so hard decorating the boxes and selling them.
I am so very impressed time and time again, by their endurance to get something done. It takes some of them a whole schoolday to type with a special p.c. system the words: `Lavendel Handcreme`. (So we could stick that on top of every single box.) I would -in many cases- have given up a long time before they do. I learn so much from them and am thankful everyday that I can walk, ride my bike, pick up something that fell down, go to the toilet without needing help, move and talk the way and when I`d like to. To work with teens and children with so many different disabilities and handicaps, (sometimes even in their young age progressive), often makes me very humble.
Back to malaria, you can take a look at www.jrz.ch - there is a webcam where you can follow the radiomoderators 24/7 livestream aus der Glasbox. It is wonderful to see how much money is being donated for more research, expensive medicine and musquito nets.

I`m also looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family in law. Christmas is celebrated here similar to the way it is celebrated in the States. Everyone is buying presents for everyone and the Decembermonth is a very good time to think about others, who might not be blessed with everyting we enjoy each day...

It doesn`t look like we will be able to send around a lot of Christmas cards and whishes, but to those of you that reads our blog we would like to say:

Enjoy the atmoshpere of Christmas and we hope we will all be able to think a little more often, about what our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did for us, and how much They must love us, when Jesus came to this earth to live and die for us..
And also, think of how They would like to have us help, love, and serve others, the way they would, so that we also can serve Them.

That you will feel warm and be bright and shiny happy these cold and dark Christmas days, encircled by those you love is our wish and prayer for all of you!

Have a great Christmas and Start of the new Year!