It's not mine, it must be urine

Another eventful weekend here in Maastricht!

On Friday night Nick and I went out with our friends Laura and Richard to our favorite thai restaurant "Pet Thai". Laura and Richard got engaged over Christmas so we were celebrating. Nick bought Richard a celebratory bottle of Wild Turkey - that never ends well, and I bought Laura some organic body products. Vanilla-coconut....smells so good!

I had to teach until 7:15pm so we had a late dinner reservation for 8:30pm. When we arrived Richard and Laura were waiting for us. We quickly joined them and started discussing potential dishes. Suddenly, standing to the left of our table a conversation between the manager and a "gentlemen" I use the term loosely, became quite heated. The whole restaurant got very quiet as the argument escalated, ending about 5-minutes later with the manager escorting the man to the door. When they got to the door things got a bit physical. A few shoves were exchanged and the man was pushed outside. He proceeded to bang and throw himself against the door. It went on like this for some time. Finally, the man left. Minutes later, we heard a bang at the door and the sound of what we found out to be the man urinating against the front door of the restaurant. At this point the manager lost his cool and grabbed a bottle from the bar. He proceeded to run into the street with what seemed to be the goal of beating the man with the bottle. He came back to the restaurant about 10-minutes later with a broken bottle in hand. The manager didn't apologize, he simply walked to the bar and continued on with his business as if nothing had happend. What a strange experience? It was very odd and I felt nervous throughout dinner but we decided that at least it had made for an interesting night. It was really uncomfortable to witness the confrontation because the man was clearly under the influence of drugs or alcohol but the manager fed the fire and instead of deescalating the situation he took it to a whole other level. Needless to say, I think he made it clear that he did not appreciate the manager or the establishment. Sometimes non-verbal forms of communication can be very powerful, yuck!

We walked home with Laura and Richard to enjoy a celebratory taste of the "Thunder Chicken", as Nick likes to call it. It was great to share the tradition of Wild Turkey with two great friends.

On Saturday I taught a class in the morning and had my photo shoot for my website. My friend Sandra mentioned that her fiance Stefan does photography as a hobby and would be happy to take some photos for me.

I was very excited and so thankful that she offered and I quickly recruited her to be in the photos with me. When I arrived at their house I realized he was hardly an amateur, he had all the equipment set-up and special lighting. It was a great experience and he got some wonderful shots. He did a great job making the shoot fun, creative and in line with my vision. He was exceptionally talented! Thanks Sandra and Stefan :)

Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner of Indian food with our friends Ben and Mandy. Homemade curry dishes, one meat dish for Nick and Ben and one veggie dish for Mandy and I...mmmmmm, so good. They did an amazing job! We are so spoiled to have such great friends. We got home around 1am and I had to teach again this morning. I'm lucky I have such a wonderful group on Sunday mornings or I would have had a tough time getting up this morning. I love my 8 hours of sleep! Nick and I spent a relaxing Sunday together. A run before lunch and a walk in the afternoon, chilling on the coach and hanging out with the cats was the extent of our activity today.

It was uneventful and exactly what we needed!

It's a new beginning..

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end."

Happy New Year!!!! It's a New Year and this is your chance to be a new you, a better version of your wonderful self.

I have always felt that the New Year is an opportunity to start fresh, to have a clean slate, to dream big, set goals and go after the you that you have always wanted to be. Throughout my life I feel as though I have been building, adding or acquiring new responsibilities, new certifications, education, qualifications, belongings..... I feel like I have reached the point when it's time to break down, purge, simplify and let some things go. In order to have a new beginning sometimes something else has to end. So is it true, does this mean less is sometimes more???? Does every new beginning come from some other beginnings end??? In my case, I realize somethings gotta give.

I feel as though the last 12-months have been jam packed with "new". So many new experiences, a brand new place, as a newly married couple to name just a few! New, has proven to be both exciting and scary all at once. Living in Europe has been a wonderful journey - I have enjoyed seeing this part of the world, going to school and having some time away from my busy career but it has also brought to my attention how much I identified myself with my work. I was really comfortable with what I was doing and the people I worked with and the life I had created for myself. So much so that I didn't really have an identity outside of my job and who I was at work.

In the short 6-months that we've been here I feel as though I've grown exponentially as a person. I have taken time to reflect on what things I love to do, what I like to do and what I want to do in the future. I have improved as a teacher and a student. I have taken time for myself; which has been really difficult. There have been moments where I have felt guilty, unworthy and lazy for not being a shadow of the workaholic I once was. But I have also recognized that taking this time has resulted in my most creative and focused efforts in a long time. Instead of spreading myself so thin and getting by with doing enough, I have been able to give 100% of myself. I once received feedback from one of my students at McMaster, she was a fitness instructor on my staff, she said that she felt I did a great job and she enjoyed working with me but that I had more to give. More to give???? At the time I didn't think much of it because I was working as many hours as I possibly could. I thought it was feedback for the sake of feedback but looking back it wasn't about the hours it was about being present. I get that now!!!!

To mark the New Year I have made a few goals and one of the most powerful things that you can do to achieve your goals is to share them with others, so here they are;

1) Improve as a Yoga and Pilates instructor - teach once per week, spend 20-min each morning on my personal practice and attend another teachers class once per week

2) Continue to develop as a fitness and spin instructor - teach my 10-classes each week and take advantage of the opportunity to receive feedback from managers, senior instructors and participants (something coming here has afforded me the opportunity to do)

3) Successfully complete my 3rd year Osteopathy exams - grade of 70% on both the theory and practical

4) Grow my business, empower.ed bodhi, to be self sustaining over the next 3-months

5) Hug Nick, Maggie, Gizmo and Pumpkin everyday :)

Do you believe in me??? I believe in me and I believe in you!

Valkenburg, Bruges, Thai with Luc and 5km on New Year's Eve!

Christmas markets are all the rage here. Every community has one and some are more famous then others. They are set up like a small little village in the cities centre. Small wooden huts are set up and filled with local goods. There are food stands and of course delicious Gluhwein (mulled wine). I find it really sweet but on a damp day it really hits the spot :) My mom sent me an email to let me know about a market she saw on the internet in Valkenburg. They have their market in caves. It was a short train ride and we walked through the village. It was a really great trip and I found a silver charm of a bicycle for my charm bracelet. We spent a quiet Christmas Eve together at home and opened presents together on Christmas morning. On December 25th they have Christmas and on the 26th they have Christmas #2. They actually call it Christmas day 1 and Christmas day 2. We stayed here but it was really quiet. Everything is closed for the 25th and 26th. We did a few runs in preparation for our race and just to get out. We were beginning to get cabin fever. On December 27th we took the train to Bruges. My mom and dad surprised us and paid for the hotel, train and a nice dinner. It was a wonderful trip and we really enjoyed it :) We stayed for two days and one night. The city was very romantic with old buildings and canals running through the city. There were horse drawn carriages and of course, a Christmas market. The photos are from our visit. We stayed in a boutique hotel in the city centre. It was perfect! We had nice dinner and a wonderful time wandering and exploring the city. Bruges gets two thumbs up from me :)

Last night we went out for dinner with Nick's boss Luc. He took us out to a little Irish pub for some conversation and to catch up and then we went to a Thai restaurant on the Reichstraat. I had been eyeing it for some time so I was really excited when Luc suggested it. It was delicious!

For New Year's Eve we are doing a 5km road race with friends and going to a party. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be an

amazing year! I've been reflecting on 2011 and how many wonderful things we experienced and how we have grown. I think 2012 is going to bring even more excitement and growth. Bring it on!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This morning I taught a spin class at UM Sport and biked home with plans to go to Valkenburg, to the Christmas Market. They have a Christmas Market in the caves, but the weather had another plan. We got sleet/ice rain, off and on, for most of the afternoon. So we've decided to try again tomorrow. Instead, I did some running around for our dinner party tomorrow night. I picked up groceries and a Christmas tree. Admit it, nothing says “Christmas” like the Christmas tree. No matter how close it is to the big day, it really doesn’t feel like Christmas until you’ve spotted the perfect tree, and then decorated it within an inch of its life :)
I bought a small potted ever green so that we can put it on the balcony in the spring. It makes me sad to cut down a beautiful tree so this little one is absolutely perfect. This little tree has definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. We went to the Blokker (like giant tiger) and bought Christmas decorations. I found two silver birds for the "Burds", I thought they were fitting. Nick found a small strand of white lights and we picked up antiqued ribbon and glass ornaments. Isn't it the most perfect little tree that you have ever seen. Gizmo helped me to decorate and Pumpkin was quick to check it out after her nap. I am so glad we have a tree and as you can see by the picture so is Maggie. She can't stop smiling! Isn't this picture so cute? I can definitely see a future in modeling for this cat :) Nick didn't like the back drop so he created this more festive one. He is so talented! After decorating the tree I was inspired to do a little research as to this traditions origin. Did you know that the custom of the Christmas tree dates back over 1,000 years to Northern Germany. The tradition didn't make its way to North America until the 1700's when German soldiers set up a Christmas tree at one of their camps and by the 1870's nearly every North American home had a Christmas tree. Pretty neat!

Only 10 Days.....but I don't want to talk about it

Every year around this time my mom starts her Christmas baking. Now I'm not referring to a few dozen cookies and one relaxing afternoon of preparation. I'm talking about a baking marathon and enough cookies for ten families. My mom's motivation is not one of obligation to bake for numerous people or even that she loves to do it. In fact she often speaks about how labour intensive it is but for her it truly is a labour of love. What she loves is making sure that each of us gets our favorite cookie for Christmas. She makes a special package of at least one large Christmas tin for each of us to take home. My sister Leigh is a very healthy eater but she can't say no to the "classic" chocolate chip. For Charlotte it's the peanut butter and marshmallow squares and the chocolate brownies. Everyone loves the thumb print cookies with the jam in the middle and sugar sprinkled on top. Aunt Elsie loves the short bread with a cup of tea and my dad always takes one and sometimes two of everything! I have no idea where he puts it. For such a small guy he sure can pack those cookies in. A big glass of milk and a stack of four cookies is a typical dessert for my dad around the holidays. Most important of all, well at least to me, is a very special cookie - the Alana cookie. They taste just like short bread but they have cherries and walnuts chopped up in them. Mmmm....She makes them every year just for me! How spoiled are we? But alas, this will be the first year that I will not have any of my mom's Christmas baking. It's sad but true...we're not going home for the holidays.

Today in class someone wished me a Merry Christmas and said only 10 days. I thought to myself - no way, it can't be that close but it really is. It does not feel like Christmas or the holiday season for me this year. I haven't bought any gifts or decorated my house. We don't have a tree or stockings hung up. There is no snow and we have barely even worn our winter jackets. I haven't heard one familiar Christmas carol on the radio or in the stores. Don't get me wrong, Maastricht is beautiful with Christmas lights and the stores are full of Christmas shoppers, so it is happening here, but this year just isn't going to be the same.

I have gone through moments of feeling down thinking about all the things I will miss about home but I have decided that I am going to be excited instead. This will be our first Christmas as a married couple and we get to spend it together. I know that Nick is in the same boat as I am and he is going to miss his family as well. So instead of sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves we have planned some special things to do to keep ourselves busy. We are having friends over for dinner and going out for dinner as well, we have planned some day trips to the different Christmas markets and we are spending a weekend in Brugge. Not too shabby! We aren't alone for Christmas, we have each other and Pumpkin, Gizmo and Maggie. Our family and friends are in our thoughts and I'm sure they will be thinking of us too. I am planning to skype my family when they have their Christmas celebration and I have sent out Dutch Christmas cards so that they know we are thinking of them. My friend Laura and I searched for the tackiest ones we could find :) I think I will try to make a real holiday dinner for Nick and I and we will look forward to establishing some new traditions for the Harris Burd family. Being away this year will make next year even more special when we get to be together with our friends and family again. For New Years we are running a road race and going out with two other couples. I sure will miss the Rodeo Red - the very finest in Ohio wines - as well as the fabulous company of Tina and Randy Burd to ring in the New Year. Last year they had to wake me up because I fell asleep at 10pm. Man I'm getting old!

Love is a Many Splendored Thing

Splendored??? Is that even a word? I love, love! Nothing makes you feel as good as when you hug someone really hard and they hug you even harder right back :)

Today on my marathon of traveling, everywhere I turned there were couples in love. The driver that picked me up this morning at 3:50am also picked up a young couple from the Maastricht business school. It was soooo early in the morning but the young man was chivalrous even at 4am and carried his girlfriends bag to the car for her and opened the door. Awwww.... When I got off the plane there was a guy at the gate holding a sign that said "Natalie, I love you!" and he was holding flowers. Awwww... At the train there was a couple of high schoolers that were making out on the platform. Kind of gross but there is something to be said for young love. On the ferry there was this beautiful couple. I say beautiful because they could have been models; tall, tanned and smiling. They were holding hands, hugging and gazing deeply into each others eyes with the backdrop of lake Lucerne and the Swiss mountain tops. It was right out of the pages of a romance novel. Yes, today was marked by young couples in love everywhere I turned. During my short time in Europe I have been blown away by the number of oldies in public make out sessions as well. This is not something that I have ever really seen in Canada. Yes, older couples holding hands but public make-outs, NEVER! People here are all about the public displays of affection. They stand closer in lines, they give three kisses to say hello and three kisses goodbye, they hold hands with everyone; children, girlfriends, the elderly, couples - EVERYONE - and yes they grope each other in public too.

So how do they do it? How do they keep the love alive? I've heard from a number of different sources that love and a passionate relationship is something you need to work at. Well, I don't believe it! I think that passion and love can simply be a by-product of a healthy existence and as they say "by having all your ducks in a row" by ducks I mean the important things in life and when I say row I mean in order or figured out. If you're taking care of you I think your relationships follow suit. I think if you walk and/or ride your bike everywhere you have more energy, you are in a better mood, you like your body more and you are more likely to want to share it. If you have shorter workdays and go on regular holidays you have more time together to enjoy each other. I think living in small European style households don't allow you to hide from one another. I think that a culture that encourages you to kiss people hello and good-bye has got love on the brain. I think a culture that embraces eating feel good food like cheese and chocolate, in moderation, is all about the finer things - the simple pleasures. In an environment like this, love is bound to thrive and in many cases to go public as I have witnessed. So what do you think? Do you need to work at love or do you need to work on how you live your life? Did Audrey Hepburn have it right when she said "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other" or should we be holding on to our remotes, big houses, over indulgences and belief that everything needs to be "hard work" including love.

Smell you later Maastricht

I am headed to Switzerland for another Osteopathy course. This time we are studying the bones of the face. I will be in Switzerland for 5-days and returning next Thursday. I've been told that the bones of the face course is a really great one but every course has been really great so I don't expect anything less. I'm always surprised by the number of new things I learn. My head feels so full of anatomy and physiology and techniques at this point I don't know if there is any more room in my brain. It feels like time has flown by but when I look at all the information we have covered I can see that the time has been jam packed. I can't believe we've only covered half of the content of the 5-year program.

Organizing myself for these trips takes quite a lot of focus and attention to detail. I have to request coverage for all my fitness classes, I have to make sure everything I pack fits in to a carry on sized bag (flying easyjet), I have to book flights, shuttle, train and ferry tickets and confirm my accommodation with the nuns. I went out this morning and bought some new boy cut underwear for my course as well. I know it sounds funny but last course we were studying the cervical spine (neck) and I didn't expect to take off my clothing. It ended up that we needed to stand in front of our colleagues in our underwear for a full physical exam. I was embarrassed that I did not have the proper undergarments. So this time, like a girl guide, not that girls guides hang around in their underwear but the always be prepared part :)

I realized this morning, when I was reviewing my itinerary, that I had given the wrong departure time to the shuttle service so I am waiting to see if they can pick me up 30-minutes earlier in order to make the flight. As we speak, or should I say as I write, I got the confirmation that the shuttle can only pick me up two hours earlier so it looks like a 4am pick-up and 3:30am wake-up. Yuck! What a pain!

I wonder if they have snow in Switzerland??? We still don't have any snow here and the weather feels like fall in Canada. It's very doubtful that we will have snow for Christmas :( Highly likely that we will have rain though :(