It was windy in Zandevoort. Kite surfers were out in full force as were littlies flying kites. It looked Awesome. So I thought I would get into the spirit and go fly a kite!
We also did a little exploring and found a couple uniquely Zandevoort elements.
xoxo.
After a few days in the city of hard work getting Gregg’s apartment ready to rent, we handed the keys over to our first renter and hopped a train west to the coast of Holland. We arrived in beautiful Zandevoort and immediately headed out for a walk on the beach.
I put my feet in the ocean somewhere other than North America for the first time in my life. Awesome.
We also checked out the Zandevoort Circus. It’s really an arcade…
Zandevoort also has beautiful sunsets.
One of the most Awesome things about Zandevoort is the beach is lined with Beachclubs There are 36 clubs, all with their own theme and energy.
We tried out a few and found our spot at Number 8 – Far Out. You can lounge on the beach, or in the lounge and basically hang out for the day at the beachclub. It’s Awesome and I don’t know if I can do it justice, you might just have to check it out for yourself.
Pretty Awesome day all the way around.
Check out the other Awesome babes at 30daysofawesome.com.
xoxo.
It’s true. I love kitsch. Not outwardly like Tiffany lamps and random decoupage knickknacks all over my house, but tasteful kitsch, or so I like to think.
I have this vision of my house one day being streamlined, modern and white with elements of colorful cottage kitsch thrown in.
So, when on my venture of the same street Utrectstraat where I found the postcards I saw this flatware in the window, I almost dropped my latte.
Euro Kitsch. Does it get better?
I mean, how cute, picnicky and kitschy is this flatware set. And best of all, you can mix and match. That’s right, I can choose spoon by spoon and fork by fork exactly what I want my flatware collection to look like.
Amazing. Simply amazing.
Well, like any good recovering impulse buyer, I slept on the thought of spending hard earned money on kitschy flatware. Also like any good recovering impulse buyer, as I slept on the idea of starting the collection, my desire for the items in question only grew stronger.
So – you knew it was coming — I went back and threw down the Visa. The bonus here is it was my United Airlines Visa. Hellllloooo points. I now have my very own collection of kitschy flatware that I cannot put in any dishwasher hotter than 55* Celsius. After a bit of research, it turns out that means I can put it in exactly NO dishwashers. Heather, are you reading this? 
My collection. Heart throbbing, isn't it?
Since we’re fooling no one here and I’m way behind in blogging, I can add an addendum to this post. I had a HELL of a time getting them home. Call me dumb, but I packed them in my carry on, as I didn’t want them out of my site. Yeah, butter knives are NOT allowed on the plane. So $30 later, I’ve checked my laptop bag full of flatware. C’est la vie, more Untied points.
Now, I was trying to keep this a secret for a future blog post, but I just don’t think I can. To prove how far my love of this style goes, I had to show you all the AMAZING chairs I just ordered from Turkey, never mind they are held up at customs, one day, they will be in my home.
Also, this is the couch Gregg and I recently picked out for his house. You getting the point here?? *sigh*
xoxo.
Who doesn’t love getting hand-written mail? Getting a letter or a postcard in the mail with your name and address lovingly scrawled on the front just doesn’t happen anymore. It’s always bills. Or credit score notifications. Or pleas of donations from the Society for Elder Cat Lovers with Disabilities (never sure if the cats or people are the elders or who is actually disabled…) Or bills.
So when I chanced upon a lovely book store on my favorite street in Amsterdam, Utrechtstraat, and found even lovelier postcards taken by a local French woman, I snapped up a few dozen and went to town on scripting personal messages to all the ladies of Awesome and a few others I deem Awesome as well. Over a Heineken, of course.
Getting down on some postcards.... and some beer. Pretty nice cards, eh?
I wasn't kidding about the few dozen. They're just so nice.
The best thing about these postcards in my opinion is you can write on the entire backside because they also came with an envelope. For those of you loyal to Nog, you know I like to talk/write. So this is particularly great for me.
Who knows when the world traveling Kait will get hers. 
As Awesome as postcards are, I bet I’ll have an easier time finding out what the girls are up to on 30daysofawesome.com. You will too.
xoxo.
Some of you may know that I haven’t been drinking lately. I haven’t had a drink in three months. It may not sound like much, but try it. Harder than you think! Especially when within those three months you go on a ski trip in Austria, attend the crazy events of the Closing Day of Aspen Highlands, go to a wedding, host multiple business meetings, etc…
Which is why after three months, the sweet taste of beer is sweet indeed. Want to know what makes it even sweeter? Having that first beer in three months be a Heineken. In Amsterdam. On an amazingly beautiful day. Awesome.
xoxo.
When was the last time you got an actual toy in a cereal box? I don’t think they’ve actually done this regularly since I was a child. You now have to either send in UPC codes, send in a self-addressed stamped envelope and pretty much jump through the proverbial General Mills and Kellogg’s hoops.
Well, when I came across this Cheerios box that said toy INSIDE, I had to get it. I used to ruthlessly fight with my brother and sister for the toy in the box (I always won, being the oldest… and meanest.) This time, I had to fight with no one. The simple joys of cereal box toys were mine and mine alone.
Not that this was the coolest toy out, but I had a good time.
The toy was a wind up spinning top that you shot at the cardboard cut-outs of Kung Fun Panda characters. As luck would have it, my top was the character of Lord Shen, the evil Peacock trying to take over China in the movies. Love him.
So I cut out Po (the Panda), Tigress (the tiger), Shifu (Not sure what small rodent-like animal he is) and Monkey (a monkey, obviously). I set them up on my dining room table, wound up Lord Shen and let the Panda wimps have it. Po never went down. No seriously, everyone else went flying, but Po the Panda stayed on his feet at all times. Think about it…
See what the other ladies of Awesome knocked down today.
xoxo.
I’ve never really planted anything before. I guess I’ve never really had anywhere to plant anything, but all the houseplants I’ve ever owned have died. So I’ve always assumed my thumbs were far from green. That may still turn out to be the case, but when Gregg started landscaping his house and the area surrounding the door turned in a large space of mulch with beautiful Aspen trees emerging, I decided we should brighten it up a bit as well.
So, we went plant shopping and spent the afternoon planting ten plants in the mulchy area.
I think it turned out well. I can’t wait to do more!
xoxo.
Since Day 1 of Awesome this year, I have wanted to do this… hit a golf ball off the top of the Continental Divide.
The Continental Divide is a stretch of mountain ranges that runs north and south from Canada down to Mexico. This is the point where rain and runoff either go west and into the Pacific Ocean or east and into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It’s essentially the geological separation of our country.
Here in Colorado, you can access the highest point of the Great Divide by parking at Loveland Pass and hiking up from 11,900 feet to a bit over 13,000. We decided we’d hike up there, hit some balls and send them into the two great bodies of water surrounding this country.
Gregg chose great footwear for the hike.
Once we made it to the top, we had to scope a nice flat spot to hit from. Not an easy feat on top of a “Rocky” Mountain.
Once we got to the top and found the perfect spot. We teed it up! One east. One west.
Hole 1 of the Continental Divide Country Club. It’s a par 17.
So much fun. You know it’s been a good day of Awesome when you can’t stop smiling.
See what the other girls did to get Awesome at 30daysofawesome.com
xoxo.
I got a fish.
A Cherry Barb fish, to be exact. His name is Thom. (Don’t forget the H. He’s Thai. Or so I’ve deemed him to be.)
He’s the pinkest fresh water fish they had in the store. He’s super cute. I love him.
I love him so much, that the first night I brought him home, I took about a million photos. I wanted to get a close up, so I got right up on top of his bowl to get a good shot. My phone slipped out of my hand, into the water and cracked the fish bowl. Whoops.
Now Thom and I have a love/hate relationship, because prior to Thom, my iPhone was the most precious thing in my life. Now they are in conflict in my heart. *Sigh.
Luckily, after putting my phone in a giant size bag of quinoa overnight, it, mostly, works. It flashes the “This device is not optimized for this accessory” message every ten to fifteen minutes and won’t play music, but other than that, it’s pretty much in working order.
I’m taking a wee trip starting Monday. So Harvey is watching Thom. I have a 50/50 expectation to his survival rate.
Think the other girls of 30daysofawesome got pets? Hmmm…..
xoxo.
I got to thinking today… I’m not sure everyone involved in 30 Days of Awesome has actually met one another. Kait has never met Heather and Amanda and Angeli have never been formally introduced. I think the only people that has met everyone else is Jess, Lesley and I.
So I was wondering how to put into one place a bit of each of the girls personalities without the standard “what’s you favorite color” and “how old were you when you lost your virginity” questions.
As seen on my blog, I am a fan of the site Polyvore. It’s an amazing internet time waster site, and who doesn’t love those? Essentially, it allows you to create little online collages of fashion, art and text. I decided to create a set for each of the girls of Awesome based on what I know of their personal styles.
I started with the shoes. The shoes make the outfit, the style and the girl. From there, it all just came together.
I’ve included the link so you can go explore polyvore for your self and see what is included in each of the girls sets.
Enjoy!
xoxo.
Lesley Betts. Wolf lover and creatively put together.
Jess Werner. Sporty casual with a penchant for color.
Angeli VanLaanen. Hippy chic with a refined softness.
Amanda Wormann. Bohemian free with undertones of East Coast prep.
Heather Hendrix. Rock and Roll. All night long.
Tawnya Schultz. Edgy and beachy. Action sports inspired.
Kait McNally. The traveling artist with a hipster vibe.
And me. Belted Victorian lace and pink. Love.
One of the best things in the world is curling up in front of the fireplace on a cold snowy night with a warm mug of Eggnog... preferably wearing long johns and a beanie.
My name is Nicole Birkhold. I work for Storm Mountain Media where I do all sorts of things.