Amsterdam Stories: Roller Coaster Of Emotions, Surprises & More

Hi darlings!

Are you ready for the weekend, ’cause it’s Friday (yayyy!). I can’t wait to hear all about your plans! Whether it’s packed with fun stuff or just two relaxing days at home :) Ohh, I also do owe you some apologies for not writing a blog post last week. But, hey! That means I get to tell you all about two fun weekends instead of one ;)

So, while I’m writing this I’m on the train to my parents. This afternoon I’ll visit some thrift shops with my mom :) Afterwards she will cook for my dad & me AND I’ll stay for the night (yayy!). Tomorrow will be just a relaxing day, where I’ll hopefully see my sister, nephew and brother-in-law too. They’re a bit sick so I’m not 100% sure. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them, so fingers crossed! Ohh, and Sunday will be all about visiting Utrecht (+having lunch there) and visiting a pretty castle. At the end of the day I’ll head home to relax a bit before a brand new week starts :)

Now, let me give you a little update about my new job. You’ve probably seen the title of this blog post and the ‘roller coaster of emotions’ certainly had to do with that. You remember I had that interview with one of the clients of work for my first assignment? Well, I got it! I’m not really sure what to expect and I wasn’t 100% happy at first to be honest. The explanation of the tasks sounded a bit repetitive, while I do love variety and an intellectual challenge. Right now, I did accept the fact that I can’t get the ‘perfect’ assignment right from the start and my manager told me it’s only temporary. Besides some doubts about this, I also had to study quite a bit for my first Wft exam, which hasn’t been easy. Currently, I can proudly say I passed it! So, it’s like a weight’s been lifted. Ohh, there are also some good prospects for further growth in data and analytics. I’ll keep you posted!

On to the next topic: two weeks ago we celebrated the birthday of my dad with the entire family. Birthdays nowadays always give me a special feeling. A feeling of gratefulness and thankfulness that I got to spend another year with a person I love. The day after, I went with my parents to Amsterdam for a yummy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants (Van der Valk Amstel). We also went to the National Maritime Museum and I showed them my number one spot to study: the biggest library of The Netherlands. Their roof terrace and restaurant are definitely worth a stop. The Sunday of that weekend I took it slow. I only did some groceries, visited a few shops and relaxed at the Rijksmuseum Gardens.

Now it’s time to tell you all bout last weekend. The ‘surprises’ part of the title of this blog post definitely has to do with that. I did know that my parents were coming over for the weekend and that we were going to do some shopping for the first birthday of my nephew. But, I had no idea that … they would surprise me with a stay at Hotel Okura! Omg, pinch me! I’m such a lucky girl and truly blessed with my lovely parents. It was such an unique experience and we also had a great laugh from time to time. I even visited the hotel’s wellness area with my mom (even though it was like 30 minutes and quite busy, hihi). It was an experience I will never forget. Never, ever :) Ohh, we also had the best tea and a piece of pie at Grand Cafe Krasnapolsky. Really wanted to mention that too :)

Well, I do need to get this post finished by now, since I’m almost at the station where I have to get off. This blog post is a bit longer than normal, hopefully this compensates the fact that I didn’t write one last week, hihi. Before I’ll end: happy weekend & remember: you are worthy of love, happiness, abundance and success♥️

X JJ