Benno & Mirjam in New Hampshire

We are moving to Facebook!

Mirjam — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:27:19 +0000

AboutI 5 1/2 years ago I started my first blog. We were 11 weeks away from our move. It was going to be a hectic 11 weeks. We started building a website to keep everyone informed about our move, upcoming marriage and good bye parties and our emotinal state of mind.

Then we got into the culture shock and all the new things in live.

Last night Benno and I were sitting at our fireplace, realizing how quick 5 years can go. We wondered when do you feel settled in, when is moving over? And we decided this is the time to say we are settled in. From now on life is going to be life. We have friend, will build long lasting relationships and settle down to life a happy life for a long time to go.

Derry, New Hampshire is our home and so many of our stories is about daily life, things that are normal for us. Ofcourse we will have new experiences, little cultural shocks. And Facebook has become a very easy tool to share those experiences and pictures.

So feel free to connect with us at Facebook!

Spring is in the air

Mirjam — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:20:43 +0000

The signs are all over the wall. Spooky who impatiently waits to go outside in the morning, a few spots with some kind of white stuff, that once was called snow, birds flying back and forth- waking us up in the early morning, the chipmunk who seems to say: “hello I am back” while sitting on his rock.

Tomorrow we will go skiing, probably for the last time this season, the Christmas decoration is retrieved from all the spots in the yard (our yard was covered with snow from December until a week ago !)

A stroll in our yard and neighborhood is a true stress reliever. It is good to be spend a few hours outdoors again! Today we visited the Home Depot to see if they had already the first annuals for sale. We were too early. Next week we will sit down with Shane to discuss the landscape design from Kerry to see how many years it will take to get from a bare yard, to a dream, resort like landscape.

The seasons go so quickly, but I am ready to let go the winter and say hello to spring!

Locals know: there is too much too choose from.

Mirjam — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:58:15 +0000

In the beginning of the winter we bought for a few mountains in the New Hampshire area one day ski tickets. We were hoping that this would help us determine which mountain we like best, so that we next year can just buy a season pass. Well that was the idea.

Since we moved to New Hampshire we have asked the locals where to go to, where to go to in the summer, where to go to in the winter. And if you have ever asked this question know that you receive two or three options. This does not happen if you ask that same question in New Hampshire and up to till today we never understood why nobody could answer a simple question like “which ski area would you recommend?”.

From our package we had three mountains left, Waterville, Cannon and Sunapee. We choose Sunapee, because we thought that this was nearby and just tough enough for Benno who was recovering from a cold. TomTom tells us that it is the same distance as to Loon Mountain and so we settle ourselves in for a 75 minute ride to the mountain. We had never been to this part of New Hampshire and we expect not something really specially. Some hills, some trees and a mountain to ski on.

While we are getting closer to the mountain we were amazed by all the beauty and the enormous lake that we saw. A lot of people were driving their snowmobile on the ice and we also a scuba store right at the lake. This place must be awesome in the summer! We realize how much there is too see in New Hampshire and how little we have already seen.

When we go up the mountain and are ready to do some skiing we than see the whole area, it is just gorgeous and overwhelming. Skiing with this kind of scenery is just amazing. The mountain was great, the snow perfect. So also this place is on our list of keepers.

While we drive home, we get it. There is not one great mountain in New Hampshire, there is not one nice lake and one nice place to go hiking. There are many place to choose from and they are all great. Just pick a spot and enjoy. This is a piece on earth that is just to enjoy over and over again. And it is right in our backyard. We love it.

Tree down

Mirjam — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:01:25 +0000

“Have you heard about the storm here in New England?” While we are on a short family visit trip to the Netherlands, our Catsitter Connie is calling us. This sentence doesn’t feel good. The only thing I can say is “Hmmm”, hoping that she is telling me quickly what went wrong. “A tree came down” My brains start to work are in overdrive, what does that mean, did it fall on our house, if so, how is Spooky, what about the sprinklers in the attic, is the roof broken? Is there still electricity. Well she is calling from our landline..

“.. the tree fell on your drive way” A big relief.. No damage, just a nuisance. I feel honestly bad for our catsitter, she had to crawl over to get to our cat. Spooky has been hiding under the bed, since we left, so it isn’t much fun to visit our cat and now this. The best thing I can do is making sure that this tree is gone asap. So I call Shane, hopefully he can help us out, and he can. He was probably as shocked that we called, as when I received the call from our cat-sitter and also realized that it wasn’t so bad, when he heard the story and saw the pictures. But still living out in woods brings some action to your life!

Later we learned that the same day Shane was able to arrange some troops to take the tree out of the drive way and also plow the whole driveway! This was a very nice surprise when we got home.

View Photo Album

When East meet West

Mirjam — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:20:08 +0000

Do not have to tell you that building style varies widely in this world. Therefore, when we as Dutch native were in the process of building our custom build home, we had learned that materials and techniques were different from what we are used to. The fact that houses are being build out of wood makes some things easier, but other things nearly impossible. We came up with a nice combination of an American – European house as you have been able to see in our pictures. The Ikea kitchen was a great example on where Shane’s crew had to adjust big time, the plumbers had to use their knowledge to get the faucets at the right location and we learned quickly what “everything is possible” meant. We just had to adjust to some American standards to keep the house affordable. When the house was done and ready to move in we had a beautiful house that was build to our style. The best of both worlds.

As everyone who has ever bought a new home knows, the house is never done and especially when you move into a home that is brand new and designed to match the latest technology, some things might not turn out the way it was anticipated. This happened with our heating system. We had to adjust to the fact that heated floors do not warm the house quickly. In one of our houses we have had heated floors on the first floor, but not on the second floor. So we had never thought about the fact that we should not open the window at night, when it is cold outside. And yes we Dutch believe it is healthy to keep a window open at night. So we adjusted and kept the windows closed.

Then it became colder and at night the heating system decides to turn on and that is when we had the feeling that a helicopter just landed! Wow, what a noise! We turned the heating system off at night, which of course caused the problem that it took hours to heat the house again in the morning.

So there are we, Shane, the expert from the geo system and Benno and I, discussing our issue. Some noise was eliminated by just improving the settings of our geo system. Shane is standing next to our bed, when Benno turns on the system in another room. Although he tries hard, his poker face does not want to show up. His face tells his opinion very clearly. A few seconds later, he has his poker face back and tells us that his forced air system makes more noise than our pumps. I see a really frustrated man, who just tries so hard to make his customer happy.

It is correct, the heating systems in the US in general make a lot of noise. Normally they have a basement where they can make their noise. That is where in The Netherlands priorities are different. Most systems are installed nearby living rooms or bedrooms and nobody wants to hear it. The house are build out of concrete, which eliminates a lot of the vibration noise. Therefore, we know it can be quiet. When our system was installed, nobody had thought about the vibration factor of our system and that is what is now causing the noise. Our bed is situated right above the utility room. As a result, the studs are bringing the noise of the vibration upstairs, right in our bedroom. In addition, the fact that our bed is a waterbed does not help either. Thus, when all the opinions and options are shared, we learn that a quiet bedroom is important for us and that we are willing to take the journey to get what we are use to. The fact that this wish is not smart considering the way the house was build, seems to give some challenges that apparently everyone involved is willing to overcome. Then, it is decided that the pumps and the geo systems will be flex mounted. In addition, our waterbed, yes it will go as well. The wooden structure of our home just does not match with a waterbed ability to transfer vibrations very well. I will miss my warm bed when I go to bed, but I am sure that Benno will be happy to take on the role of warmer, so that we can sleep quietly.

I am sure that Shane and his crew have shaking their heads many times if it comes to our European wishes. Therefore, it amazed me that time after time, how he is able to come up with a solution that comes close to what we are used to. We appreciate our builder and more important our home.

Another technical difference has crossed the border. The quiet heating system.

Will it work

Mirjam — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:49:36 +0000

So back in the hotel and I figured I needed to find a way to connect my webblog to my FaceBook page. So brought some datacards with pictures on it to write a nice story.

Too bad that I didn’t bring the right memorycard. Now you are reading my webblog with nothing in it…
Maybe next week has more luck!

LOL! Your Woodworkers Source Order has Shipped

Mirjam — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:55:44 +0000

You order something online. After one or two days you receive your confirmation of shipment with the tracking code on it. Nothing special right?

Right until you order something at woodworkers.com. I was happy that it was 90 degrees today and was wearing a skirt, otherwise I could have done it in my pants

Read and yes you can cry!

I have some great news, Mirjam.

Our team of 107 hard working (and exceptionally good looking) employees has – with great care and attention – selected, packaged and shipped your order #51550 on this beautiful day.

I wish you could have been here to see all the action. When I handed the order to Robert, our master packager, he looked at it, smiled, and slid a pair of Italian leather gloves onto his hands. As he selected your order, he placed it all on a satin-lined chariot to move it to the packaging center. And there’s more . . .

Everyone gathered around, held a candle, and watched with hushed awe as he wrapped the entire order in the finest gold-laced cardboard that money can buy – you could have heard a pin drop.

In the end, the guys were so thrilled that they wanted to throw a party just for your order. We’re talking about a big fiesta with live music and good food. All the action stumped the UPS driver when he showed up. He thought he was going to pick up the packages like normal, but instead we picked *him* up carried him down the street on our shoulders while the band played. You can imagine what happened next, right? Our neighbors came outside to see what the fuss was all about, and when they saw your beautiful order they all waved ‘Bon Voyage!’ to your package, and patted Robert on the back.

Someone must have called the local TV stations because the next thing I knew I had six interviews to handle for reporters who asked, “What does Mirjam IJtsma intend to make?” But don’t worry, your secret’s safe. I told them, “I don’t know. Maybe world peace?” Man! If only woodworking could do that!

Anyway, the guys hope to see pictures of what you make so we can have another party (I know what you’re thinking . . .). I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at Woodworkers Source. We enjoyed every minute of it, and we’ve named you “Customer of the Year.” That gets you a pretty good parking spot right out front if you ever come see us. I gotta tell you, though, we’re pretty exhausted. And we can’t wait for you to come back to Woodworkers Source.

Okay, okay. You want the info. Your tracking information is below, or you can also get it all by logging into your at account at our website.

After you receive your order, we’d love to know what you think:
http://www.woodworkerssource.com/myorder.php

Thanks again,
Craig Haggarton and The 107 Good Looking Lumber Pickers
Woodworkers Source

Going for a walk with the cat.

Mirjam — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:21:20 +0000

[cincopa 10704969]

We do have a cat – Spooky and although we also like dogs, we stick with her. And she is doing everything she can to sometimes fill that gab. Going for a walk on the trail at our neighborhood for example. She made it halfway our trail, which is still quite amazing if you realize that this took her an half hour.

Don’t call the Dutch during diner!

Mirjam — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:55:01 +0000

“Can I call you back later, I am just having dinner.” My husband is on the phone with one of his family members. The other party asks to call back in about an hour (!). He hangs up, looks at me and just says “they were having dinner”. We both started to laugh. “if I could call back in an hour”, he said. “What kind of dinner was that?” I asked him. “Well, I could call back earlier, when they realized that that was a long time…”

This is typical Dutch and we just learned that we are changing. Dinner time in The Netherlands is very important and you should take the time for it. Nobody should call (that is why it is so handy that a lot of people have dinner at 06:00PM). Our first reaction was the offended one. He hadn’t spoken to this person for weeks and just wanted to be nice and ask about their wereabouts.

They will say this to everyone, not just a salesperson and yes, we are not used to this anymore. Isn’t it nice if somebody calls you to ask how you are doing. And as Benno did call at an inappropriate time (it wasn’t even at 06:00 PM !), he is now the person who should call them back.

After four and half years of living in the US, we are approaching time and social contacts a little bit different. You will never loose your roots, but your roots might grow a little bit in a different direction. I am sure that we will have more of those challenging culture differences the longer we enjoy living here.