Three Trips, Five Visitors and a Wedding!

April was a packed month full of travel, baby showers, wedding, major Dutch holiday celebrations and visitors!  Before the madness began, Kirk flew straight to Barcelona (from Iceland) for an EA SPORTS shoot with his favorite footballing star, Lionel Messi. The shoot went great, and Kirk made it back a day before we left again!

Next stop, Seattle, for Ryan and Nicole's wedding! We had an action packed week visiting friends, family, getting our Mexican meals fix and being showered with baby girl gifts!!!

The day after we landed, my dear friends Lisa, Amy and Sue (Lisa's mom) hosted a beautiful brunch gathering in Tacoma. Later in the evening my college friend and old roommate hosted a shower in Seattle. We sure have one lucky girl, so many cute outfits, books and baby gear. We are so blessed to have so many supportive friends and family - each have been such a major influence in our lives - we definitely feel the love and support!

We also had time to go around visiting new additions - Finley (Emily and Kai's daughter) and Miles (Rhi and Nate's boy).  Just gets us more excited for what our future holds!

To start off the wedding weekend Kirk felt our baby girl kick for the very first time and we could see my belly move! A special way to start the day - it's as if she wanted to be a part of the festivities. The wedding day was fantastic! The weather was sunny and clear, the venue was perfectly lit and decorated. Nicole of course was a stunning bride and Ryan could not wipe that grin off his handsome face. Oh what a night!

Early in the morning we jetted off back to Amsterdam - crazy to think the next time we are home we will have a 3.5 month in tow! Once we arrived in Amsterdam we went to our final ultrasound (20 weeks). All is well and BG (Baby Girl) is growing, kicking and making herself some room (here is my  picture at 23 weeks).

Once back in Amsterdam we quickly got back to reality, packed up our belongings and made a move to our new apartment on Kloveniersburgwal - another of the main and central canals in the city.  The apartment is really lovely, provides a ton of space, charm and is very cozy or as the Dutch would say - Gezellig!

After our big move we put on our party hats and started Queen's Eve with friends on a boat. Our friends Chip and Katie gathered a big group together to celebrate the holiday and to send them off (they are moving back to Chicago).

Following Queen's Eve we put on our orange and headed over to the Haley's to celebrate our 3rd Queen's Day. Brunch started at Ali's home and then we strolled along the Prinsengracht - viewing all the goods sold by local Dutch.  The streets were immediately filled with tourists walking about, eating, drinking, and dancing on the boats and canal sides. We set up chairs and a table outside the Haley's place for some people watching, snacking and sipping!

The Buri's (Bryce, Brooke, and Sienna) flew out to spend some time in Belgium and the Netherlands.  We know Bryce and Brooke from college - Kirk and Bryce were in the same fraternity. Amazing to see where life takes us - traveling together and starting our very own families! Brooke and Bryce are also expecting this summer (baby boy)!

We love having guests from home - always a nice way to explore different parts of the city and country, restaurants, museums and bars.  It's a good reminder of all the wonderful pleasures of the city! A new place to venture - Zaanse Schans.  Zaanse Schans is located in Zaandam and is know for it's collection of well-preserved windmills and houses.

The houses were originally in Zannstreek before being moved over in the 1970's. This is definitely a popular tourists spot - providing all the beautiful windmills, creeks, farm animals, trails, cheese and wooden shoe shops!  Zaanse Schans even has the first Albert Hein (our main grocery store).

While hosting the Buri's, Kirk had another shoot to finish up in Budapest which lasted for about 10 days. Budapest is a wonderful city, and they had some amazing weather, so all in all not a bad way to spend 10 days. The shoot was very busy, but ended very well.

Next couple to visit - Sharon and Brad!  After two other attempts to visit, Sharon and Brad finally made it over the pond. They starting off their two week trip with us then off to Rome and Florence.  Like most of our visitors we hit up some of the usual spots. On their first day we went to the Molenpad for yummy bitterballen, kaastengels and Brugse Zot Belgian beer; the Bloemenmarkt; Vondel Park; and all the various squares (Leidse and Rembrandtplein).  We continued on with drinks at Amstel Haven, walked down the Amstel river and feasted at Koffie Huis!  All and all a great start!

We followed up the next day with more exploring - visiting the Dam Square, National Monument, Royal Palace, Kirk's work, and the Nine Streets area. And then their trip would not be complete with out a canal boat ride with our friend Paap! Many of our friends joined us for the 2 hour boat tour around town! You could not ask for better weather - high 70's, clear, breathtaking - just the way you want to see Amsterdam!  The evening ended with birthday steaks, lobster and Scroppino at Red, then drinks at De Dokter and darts at Cafe Lange Leo!

Up and early we rented a car and sped off to Ghent, Belgium. Here we visited the Saint Bavo Cathedral (also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral) and the Gravensteen.

The Gravensteen castle served as the seat of the Counts of Flanders. The castle was also used as a courthouse, prison, a factory and eventually was scheduled to be demolished due to decay.

On our way home we swung thru Zaanse Schans and had cold drinks on our terrace before heading down to the Engelbewarder (brown bar below our apartment) for our last dinner with Sharon and Brad.

Definitely can't complain about all the trips, visitors and gifts received over the last few months!  We love making memories and sharing our home too!

Chamonix and Iceland (with spring around the corner)!

The last few months have pretty exciting in the Johnsen household.  We recently revealed the gender of our baby to family and friends - if you didn't know already we are having a girl!  She is healthy, growing and already kicking.  Felt her first kick, unofficially, on March 21st (riding my bike around and couldn't tell if it was her or not) and officially on April 7th (it was definitely happening!). We are doing great (done with the nausea, fatigue and feeling like I am always starving) but I hear that can change again once the third trimester rolls around so wish us luck!

Besides some crazy recent travel we are also in the process of moving.  Our friends Jeff and Nidia are moving to the States in May and will be leaving their beautiful home behind. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to live there!  The move should be relatively easy and we are looking forward to the change and new view of the city.  Future post and pics to come!

Kirk made it out for round 2 of snowboarding in Chamonix, France. This time he was accompanied by our friend, Ben. The weather was perfect - conditions were superb and the weekend couldn't have been any better. What a great way to turn a work trip in Geneva into a weekend on the world's best mountain for skiing/snowboarding.

Shortly after Chamonix, Kirk headed off to Kiev, Ukraine for about 5 days for a Nike commercial shoot. It was his first trip to the Ukraine, and sounds like it's a pretty interesting place. Classic Eastern Block, and still a ton of growth ahead for this country. Some of the neighborhoods he was shooting in were pretty dodgy, and the production company gave him a disposable phone (burner) to use while he was there, so he said he felt like he was in the Ukrainian version of HBO's The Wire. He even went to a big football match while there - Dynamo Kiev vs Dnipro (Dynamo won 2-0). Overall it was a very successful trip and shoot. The commercial can be seen here:

Shortly after Kirk got back, our friend Savinay made it to Amsterdam to visit us on his way to Spain to visit a cousin. We met Sav back in 2007 when we moved to Santa Monica. Many great memories with our buddy, Sav - I am just happy we can create more in Amsterdam. We definitely did the usual - a little bike, boat, drinking Heineken, eating bitterballen and splitting a slice of apple pie!

Since we are moving we decided to throw one last gathering and turned it into a "gender" reveal party!  We asked our guests to fill out whether they believed our baby was a boy or a girl. Once we received all of the votes we handed out cupcakes (the cake color under the wrapping did the revealing for us - pink for girl).  Most guessed boy (about 75%) so it was huge surprise for everyone to find out we were having a girl!  Sharing the news was fun - hearing the news from the technician for the first time was fulfilling and the happiest I have ever been since marrying Kirk. We are so thrilled about this little lady.

Kirk's work, W+K, recently celebrated their 20 year anniversary. The Founder's Day celebration started with a trip around the shores of the Netherlands on a huge ship, then ended in a castle they rented out with a DJ and dinner. There were various costume themes throughout the night - it was a blast.

Being pregnant does not mean the traveling will stop. For the Easter holiday we flew to Reykjavik, Iceland with our friends, Ben and Erica!

Some tidbits about Iceland - population of 320,000 and about 60% of the population live in Reykjavik (which happens to be the world's northernmost capital in western Europe).  Iceland is roughly the size of Kentucky. For food, they are known for their lamb stews, yogurt, and fish. Reykjavik is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is the least densely populated country in Europe. It is easy to get away in this city. Within a 45 minute drive you are well outside the city exploring huge waterfalls, geysers, natural springs, volcanos, mountains, dogsledding, horseback riding, whale watching, and the list goes on.

Coming into the city we noticed the Perlan (the Pearl) which is a large dome structure containing/heating the city's water. It is very much a landmark building in the capital. We arrived on a slightly rainy/windy Saturday (checked in to the lovely Hotel Borg) and immediately set out on the streets to explore the surroundings. We stopped in the Icelandic Food Station for some yummy lamb stew with potatoes, cabbage, peas and fish cakes!

Up the street from the Station we walked around the Cathedral (Hallgrimskirkja). This is a Lutheran parish church and the largest church in Iceland.

We walked along the waterfront and observed the Sun Voyager statue.  This sculpture depicts a dreamboat, an ode to sun.

For dinner that evening we had a table at The Fish Company. It was extremely tasty - I think I had the best dish - cod, with bacon foam and mashed potatoes! The gang sipped on Viking beer and we kept warm in the cozy atmosphere!

Sunday morning we had an awesome brunch at Laundry Mat. Kirk and I split the the Dirty Brunch - breakfast potatoes, fried tomatoes, greek yogurt and muesli, bacon, sausage and pancakes and rye bread. Amazing meal and a good way to start off our day. Today's adventure involved a popular tourist route called the Golden ring. The drive overall is about 300 km with stops in Pingvellier, Geyser, and Gullfoss.

The Pingvellier (Thing Fields) is a very popular destination for its rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge).

In Geyser, we visited the erupting spring Strokkur. We watched the fountain geyser eject from the ground about every 4 minutes and up to 20 meters high. The depth is about 75 feet where the water contacts the hot rocks and gets to about 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Geysers are pretty rare (only exist in few places on Earth).

Last stop, Gulfoss. The Gulfoss (Golden Falls) is a massive waterfall and noted as the most popular tourist attraction in the country. We walked down the side, propped ourselves on a safe landing and watching the water power it's way down the many crevices.

Had to help ourselves to fish and chips at Icelandic Fish and Chips!

Final day, we made our way to the Blue Lagoon with some side road stops to explore the landscape which is quite beautiful - moss covered black rocks, flat lands, snow-capped mountains in the distance, with no sign of wildlife.  My mom said it reminds her of what the moon would be like.

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located in a lava field. There are various temperatures throughout the lagoon - luke warm, cold, hot and piping hot. We all managed to find sweet spots and cover ourselves in silica mud. You place the mud on your skin for about 5-10 minutes or until it hardens.  

The water is rich in minerals (sulphur and silica) and supposedly help people suffering from skin diseases. The Blue Lagoon also hosts a Research center focusing on cures for skin ailments.

It was hard to leave such a beautiful place. Highlights had to have been the Blue Lagoon and the food with out a doubt! Thanks for the great trip, Erica and Ben!