Life on Purpose

I'm going to interrupt the summer adventure posts with some recent ponderings that I've been wresting with as of late.  I've had a lot of time with just myself and my thoughts this month.  August is THE vacation month and the month that working in Luxembourg appears to be optional.  Everyone packs up for 3-4 weeks and a mass exodus occurs until September.  While the free spirit in me loves this idea of checking out, the Martins remained in town and the extrovert in me (sans computer!) was less than delighted to be my own company for 3 weeks straight :)

Its funny what comes into clear focus when you spend extended periods of time alone.  I have been severly reminded over the last few weeks that we, as individuals, spend so much time taking care of ourselves and trying to make ourselves happy.  Here I am in a beautiful country with my husband, seeing the world, and living, for what seems to most, a fairy tale.  I've been reminded that just outside of this fairy tale, there are people surrouding me lost and in need.  People who benefit from me choosing not to make my life all about myself.  Its not likely that I will ever have this much free time again and I don't want to look back regretting years that were wasted in the grand scope of eternity.  I want to live life on purpose. 

Though I'm not sure what this will come to look like, I'm grateful for a few friends who are joining with me to dream about some possibilities.  Friends who share this vision with me and want to see what it means for their lives, as well.  There are prayers being lifted, research being done and contact being made to organizations and individuals in the city who are already making a difference. 

I'm also thankful for a book that I read recently called "The Scent of Water" and a Louie Giglio podcast titled "Life on Purpose" that have both stirred something inside me.  A Ralph Waldo Emerson quote will sum up today's post: "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have succeeded."

Let us live life on purpose :)

Love from Luxembourg...Melanie

A much anticipated European double date

Patrick & Libby started talking about a European double date the the very night Alex & I told them that we were moving to Luxembourg.  Two of our closest friends, both in our wedding and vice versa, Patrick & Libby, we knew, were going to make it happen!  And this year in April, Euro double date 2012 began!  Team Burke and Team Martin were united once again :)

Alex and I got to show our special friends Luxembourg, Trier (Germany) and Bruges (Belgium) before they continued on to Italy.  Many thanks to Patrick & Libby for the fantastic photos they took along the way!

We visited some of the Luxembourgish vineyards...

Our favorite view from a Luxembourgish vineyard overlooking the Moselle River,
which serves as the Lux / German border

We took a little weekend trip to the Champagne region in France to visit Moet & Chandon, as well as some smaller vineyards...

Moet & Chandon in Epernay, France

Moet vines - too early for grapes!

Our trip ended in the special town of Bruges, Belgium!  Bruges is always a treat - and to think, I'd never even heard of it before last year!

Patrick, Libby, Alex and I in front of the famous clock tower

And I love this photo of the Burkes on a scenic little bridge in Bruges

The same little scenic bridge in Bruges :)

The only problem with the visit is that it was too short!  But, without a doubt, I'd say Euro double date 2012 was a huge success!  Thanks for coming, y'all!  Euro DD 2013? :)

Love from Luxembourg,

Melanie





Lindsey Lou and Butch, too!

I'd been anticipating the visit from my dear friend, Lindsey, for months.  This wouldn't be the first trip in my history with Lindsey - memories of a week-long stint in the Texas hill country flood my mind :)  We were quite the adventurers together in our Nashville days. Life has moved us both from our beloved Music City but, I was reminded of those sweet times when I got to live another travel adventure with Lindsey this past May... 

There was much hugging and jumping up and down upon Lindsey's arrival :)

Though Alex had to work for part of the week, I got to show Lindsey and Butch around our favorite places in Luxembourg.  I introduced them to macaroons at Namur, a little bakery in the city center...

Macaroons & coffee at Namur

We wondered into the Grund, drank hot chocoloate at the Chocolate House, saw the Grand Duke's palace and introduced the Roebuck's to MORE food - a Swiss cheesy delight called raclette!

Lindsey & Butch and their first raclette meal (and yes, that's sweet tea bottom right :)

We also took a trip to Trier (Germany) and Maastricht (The Netherlands), one of my favorite destinations that you probably remember from an earlier post Maastricht Magic.

A water mill in charming Maastricht

The mill above actually powers the making of fresh,
homemade bread at this little Maastricht bakery

After a few days in and around Luxembourg, Alex and I met Lindsey and Butch in Amsterdam.  The visit there was fresh and exciting since none of us had been there before!  Alex and I arrived a little early so we popped by the huge tulip festival, the Keukenhof, just before it closed for the season.  Though almost half the tulips had already seen their best days, there were still hundreds of thousands of blooms and it was gorgeous!

Keukenhof tulip festival outside of Amsterdam

We found Amsterdam, despite its tarnished reputation, lovely and a great place to spend a weekend.  We enjoyed traveling everywhere by bike and even learned a trick or two when we didn't have enough bikes to go around...



There were beautiful canals lacing the entire city so we took a canal tour...

Visited the Van Gogh museum...

Vonder Park...

And, of course, ate some delicious food...

Restaurant Bizaar in Amsterdam

Our favorite meal, by far, was at a little restaurant on a side street called Zaza's.  If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, please go straight here for dinner...

After our AMAZING dinner at Zaza's

It was a perfect little European adventure.  Missing the Roebuck's already!

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie

 





I'm back!

To say it has been a long time is a major understatement!  I have been without my lil laptop for over a month and wildly out of sorts because of it.  The blog was majorly neglected, I know, but the good news is...all is well and back up and running for me in cyberspace :)

So much has happened in the last three months that a major recap is in order.  Some of my best friends have come to visit us in Luxembourg...

With Libby at the flower market

Introducing Lindsey to the Grund in Luxembourg 

Alex and I have also been on some amazing trips of our own!  We went on a little 10-day Baltic adventure to St. Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), and ended up in Tallinn (Estonia) for a wedding...

Church on the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg

Most recently, Alex's mom (Ms. Connie) came back for her second visit and we saw some of the most beautiful parts of Germany and France together...

Strasbourg, France

Several posts will follow to highlight all of our summer excitement.  And I can legitimately call it summer now as temps this month have finally surpassed 75 degrees!

There's also more excitement to come as another friend, Mary, arrives next Friday followed by my parents the first weekend of September!  Thank you to all who have stayed in touch, come to visit us and read the blog to stay a part of our lives here in little Luxembourg!



Much love,

Melanie