March 2010

March has come and gone quickly and we have had a few things that have kept us busy, but overall it was a little bit calmer than February!

I traveled to the Netherlands in mid-March for work. I flew out on a Saturday and arrived on a Sunday morning. I met up with my co-workers Sonja and Brian and we immediately went out to see the area so I didn’t fall asleep! The first place we went was a pancake house that served poffertjes (Dutch mini-pancakes).

These were pretty small, but a great way to start the day! We then went to visit the Anne Frank House & Museum. There isn’t much to say about this place because the experience was something that would be hard to put into words. It was definitely a reality-check to be thankful for the things we have after seeing the way this family lived for 3 years. After that we talked through the world famous “Red Light District” where there are all kinds of things that are illegal in the USA! It is definitely an eye-popping area for a guy from the mid-west who spent 12 years in catholic school! The canal system in Amsterdam was one of the coolest things. Everywhere you went there were cobble-stone streets, happy people on bikes, and canals with new and old boats. After working for a few days, we went to a tour at the Heineken brewery and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at a local pub! Upon arriving back in the US, the NCAA basketball tournament was in full-swing. Purdue and WVU played well where WVU made it to the Final 4 and Purdue made the Sweet 16. Butler also made the Final 4 and the biggest news was that Deb won the “Deb vs. Keith” Bracket Challenge. She has won 2 years in a row and I need to come back next season. After doing well for 5 years, I’ve stumbled and she has taken advantage!

We also went to Sara Wantuck’s wedding this month. She got married at the Basilica on Notre Dame’s campus. It was great to see her get married at such a wonderful church amongst all her good friends. We were able to see some of the sights at Notre Dame, like Touchdown Jesus and the Grotto. The priest at our church in Indy served as the pastor for this wedding, so we had a good conversation with him at the reception, as he is an avid Colts fan and loves sports, so Deb and I had a very easy time talking with him! A few more items from this month:

• I started playing flag football again with the usual guys.
• The training for the Mini has been tough this year. I’m leaning toward this being my last or just taking a break for a few years after this. Nevertheless, I’m not hurting that bad and the training is still on pace as prior years.
• We had to get a new washer and dryer this month, something that is never fun to spend money on, but it is something you definitely miss when it isn’t working!
• Deb and I went to Beef and Boards to see Hello Dolly. This is a dinner theatre and we were fortunate enough to go thanks to a gift certificate from Beth and Mom and Dad for my birthday.