Euro Learning #1

Tom has been in Europe this week on business.  He was in Amsterdam the first half of the week and Warsaw the latter half....it's a rough life!  : )     His trip has been going well and he seems to be having fun and learning a lot about his new role.  

The first day into his trip he called me with "Euro Learning #1" as he so affectionately called it.  He was headed into his hotel room in Amsterdam at night and could not find the light switch anywhere in the dark room.  He spent a solid 10 minutes feeling his way around the room looking for the switch without any luck.  He finally broke down and called the front desk to ask how to turn the lights on.  For Tom to give in and ask someone is quite a feat.  He quickly learned that in order to turn the lights on he needed to insert his room key into a switch that would activate the lights.  Apparently this is quite common and is done in order to conserve electricity.

I am sure that this will be one of many Euro Learnings that we will experience....some harder to learn than others.  Our goal is to take them all in stride and have some fun along the way!

Euro Learning #1:  Use your hotel room key to turn on lights.

Trying to Smell the Roses

We are doing our best to stop and smell the roses with all that we have going on.  Part of that involves a visit from my Aunt Irene later today for the weekend!  Thought that this was a good reminder.

via

Under the Weather in 2011

Tom and I seem to have come down with the winter cold that has been travelling around.  It's a good thing that we have had time to rest up.  We are on the road to recovery and I am sure we'll both be feeling 100% soon.

2011 - A Great Year Ahead

Well, 2011 certainly will be a big one for Team Sullivan.  We hope that the upcoming year will bring us grace and ease as we embark on a number of changes for our family.  One of the things that Tom and I are most looking forward to is the new challenges, both personal and professional, that we will face.  We know that although these might not always be easy to face in the moment they will continue to help us grow in mind and in spirit.  

As we continue to prepare for our departure we look forward to sharing our experiences in 2011 in this blog.  Please feel free to add your email address on the upper right hand side to get our updates.

We came across this quote and really liked the message.  It's fun to think about what experiences we will have to share at this time next year.....

"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." -Hal Borland

We wish you and your family a wonderful 2011 filled with grace and ease!

xoxo, The Sullivan's

Downtown Warsaw on NYE

Polish Christmas Traditions

We spent the past couple of days celebrating the holidays with traditions; both American as well as family ones.  This got us wondering about Polish Christmas traditions.  Here are a few things we've learned about Polish Christmas traditions.  We are excited to try some of them out in the coming year.

Weather-forecasting is quite popular during Christmas. Everything that happens on Christmas, including  the weather, has an impact on the following year. The weather on Easter and throughout the next year supposedly depends upon the weather on Christmas (snow, rain etc).

Straw is put under white tablecloth. Some maidens predict their future from the straw. After supper, they pull out blades of straw from beneath the tablecloth. A green one foretells marriage; a withered one signifies waiting; a yellow one predicts spinsterhood; and a very short one foreshadows an early grave.

Poles are famous for their hospitality, especially during Christmas. In Poland, an additional seat is kept for somebody unknown at the supper table. No one should be left alone at Christmas, so strangers are welcomed to the Christmas supper. This is to remind us that Mary and Joseph were also looking for shelter. 

 

It is still strongly believed that whatever occurs on Wigilia (Christmas Eve) has an impact on the coming  year. So, if an argument should arise, a quarrelsome and troublesome year will follow. In the morning, if the first visiting person is a man, it means good luck; if the visitor is a woman, one might expect misfortune. Everyone, however, is glad when a mailman comes by, for this signifies money and success in the future. To assure good luck and to keep evil outside, a branch of mistletoe is hung above the front door. Finally, old grudges should end. If, for some reason, you do not speak with your neighbor, now is the time to forget old ill feelings and to exchange good wishes.

   

Christmas Day, called the first holiday by the Poles, is spent with the family at home. No visiting, cleaning, nor cooking are allowed on that day; only previously cooked food is heated. This is a day of enjoyment, for Jesus was born. 

The Breaking of the Oplatek The oplatek is a thin wafer made of flour and water. For table use, it is white. In Poland, colored wafers are used to make Christmas tree decorations. In the past, the wafers were baked by organists or by religious and were distributed from house to house in the parish during Advent. Sometimes an oplatek is sent in a greeting card to loved ones away from home.


Warsaw's Old Town at Christmas



It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

We were very fortunate to have a wonderful Christmas celebration this year surrounded by special family and friends.  It was great to see everyone and catch up and we were excited to talk to everyone about our move.  Ironically enough, we wound up going to mass near my sister-in-law's at a traditionally Polish church (the mass after ours was being held in Polish).  After mass we met the priest and told him that we were moving to Warsaw.  He was super excited and gave us a blessing for a safe journey..we'll take all the prayers we can get.  And, we thought it was pretty great to get a blessing from a priest who was also from Poland.

Tom with some of his favorite ladies (our nieces and his mom).

Our niece, Estella, with our almost one year old nephew, Tom.

All Quiet on the Blog Front

We haven't been able to blog as often as we'd like to lately.  Things have been PRETTY busy on the Sullivan front as we prepare for the big move.  We are learning more than we ever wanted to know about international paperwork and documentation, meeting with the consulate, realtors, appraisers, moving companies, and more... and are trying to take things one day at a time too.  Our to do list has 150 things on it, but we are confident that it will all get finished one way or another because it has to.  We have also been planning out the calendar for the next few weeks so that things continue to run smoothly.  We are fortunate to have some fun visitors (Aunt Irene, Lizzy, Mom & Dad) coming to spend quality time with us after the first of the year.  This will be a much needed break between all of the move preparations.  To top it off, Tom will be traveling to Amsterdam, Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium for some work meetings which he is really excited about.  With all of the craziness we are also trying to stop and enjoy this ride of life!

And, last but not least, we have an official move date....we will be moving over to Warsaw the weekend of February 12th.  So, our first official weekend living in Warsaw will be the weekend of our 4th Wedding Anniversary!  Who would have thought 4 years ago when we said "I do" that we would now be moving halfway across the world.  It's funny how life works itself out!

Charlie has quite enjoyed us spending so much time at home packing and organizing.  He thoroughly enjoys lounging around in his Christmas PJ's (thanks gmomma and grandpa) while we work.