Me, Belgium, and France-y Stuff

Gah. Some day I'll get better at this. I came down with a four day flu virus that wiped me out and yesterday was the first day I felt almost totally well. No puking or cold-like symptoms, thankfully, but immense weakness, feeling faint, dizzy, and shaky; plus I wasn't able to eat much. Hooray for stomach shrinkage! Though I really don't recommend it as a diet. 

I tried to find the balance of resting and getting work done and greatly entertained the masses when I would take resting breaks laying on the floor by the table where I was painting. 

I knew I was all the way better yesterday when I felt I had pent up energy to burn and did an hour of yoga! I went out for a walk tonight and after walking a mile out I was able to (very slowly and carefully) run all but a bit of the way back. We'll see how my foot and leg feel tomorrow and I can hopefully work the intensity back up again. 

Getting sick was yet another thing to remind me of how little control I have and to trust the One who holds all things together. My outward improvements in what I am learning pale so magnificently in comparison to the inward changes that are happening. The Lord has become so near and more precious to me than before. I am so greatful for my time of being pulled away from everything familiar to walk more closely with him. 

Abiding in His love has become the theme of this adventure. 

I left off at Normandy last time, so I'll just give some highlights from the rest of the France trip. 

Mont Saint Michel was probably my favorite sight of the trip. It is a beautiful monastery built at the top of a medieval village out on an island off the coast of France. You can walk to it when the tide is out. We took the bus on the bridge that was built out to it. 

                                   

                                     This was my first sighting as we were driving up to it. 

        

                                

                              It's very touristy in the village below, but fun with all the shops. 

                                

                                              It's still an operational monastery. 

                                

                                

                                                  Look at those two crazy cuties! 

                                      

                               

                               

  

        

                          This will definitely be one of my favorite places from the whole trip! 

Hans bought a postcard there which he plans to use as a project for me later! I'm excited to improve and come out with a rendering of Mont Saint Michel that I can be proud of. 

The next day we went and saw the Bayeux tapestry, the Bayeux cathedral, and the war memorial museum in Caen. 

                              

                                                The town of Bayeux was lovely

                               

 The Bayeux tapestry is from the 1070s and is almost 230ft long. It tells the events leading to the Norman conquest of England. Notice the charming scene of decapitation, just above. 

 

You could accuse me of looking it up on Wikipedia just now to remember what it was, but I would vehemently deny it. Of course none of the words from the first sentence were taken and altered from such an article...I cannot imagine why you would think that. 

                               

                                        I never tire of these magnificent structures. 

                               

I got to sit outside and work on quick sketching and perspective. I didn't get anything done worth showing, but it is so much fun to just sit and draw! It's surprising (and a bit intimidating) the amount of people who will slow down to see what you are drawing and stop to talk. I actually got quite a thrill from it, as I remember as a child I used to daydream about being an art student in Europe and sitting in grand, old places and locals speaking to me as they would pass by. 

So strange how life turns out sometimes.  

       

                      I was just so impressed by this sign's English and word placement. 

        

     

                                                    The Caen war museum

                                

They were ahead of their time with the hip lingo, as you'll notice this plane says "Bros" on the side. 

                               

                                                                My kind of ladies. 

                               

                                                Artist sketches from the battlefield 

                               

                             All I could think when I saw this was "are you my mummy?"

                                  (If you don't love Doctor Who, you just won't know.) 

      

That's all for the first road trip! I have literally (please hear that in Chris Traeger speak) a billion pictures to go through from Switzerland and I haven't even started. 

This week is the flower carpet in the Grand Place and I'm so excited to see it! We might also take a short trip to Brugge so I can work on a painting project there. It'll be my first painting in the field lesson. 

And so far I'm actually not freaking out about turning a quarter of a century old next week. I've decided (Lord willing) that this year is going to be freaking awesome. 

Ttfn (Ta Ta for now, as tigger likes to say) 

...Katina quickly bounds away 

Work it out

I knew coming here would be about so much more than just art; that through all of the challenges I face in re-learning what I have lost and just from being around so much wisdom, that I would grow in immense ways personally and spiritually. 

                                  

    Chateau La Hulpe. 5 minutes from the house by car, so I will run there occasionally. 

There have been so many lessons already. 

And today's lessons from church would need a post of its own. I am so thankful for all the ways God is moving in my life and teaching me. Here are just a few:

As you are working on drawing, you have to really see what you are looking at. 

Sounds funny or simple, but it is true. 

You walk past your mailbox every day, but if I asked you to describe it to me in detail I bet you would come up short. I can think that I know the proportions of an object, but if I am just focusing on my idea of what that seashell looks like, instead of constantly checking my work to see what is actually correct, I will be way off.  I have to take the time to look, really look at what I am seeing. 

That applies to life in so many ways. Take the time, be in the moment, stop rushing and notice what you are missing. Am I making up or exaggerating situations in my head, because I'm not carefully considering all sides of an issue? Stop, think, look, see the truth and not what your brain is telling you.

                                   

                                                 The forest in the park closest to home. 

In my art lessons, Hans has been asking me what I would grade myself or what I think about how I am doing.  I tend to give myself a lower score than he gives me. He said there is a difference between an emotional grade and a grade according to the criteria of the assignment. I feel like I could do better. I feel like something sucks, but really I did what was required of me. I need to separate how I feel I am doing on a drawing and just do what I am asked to do. 

As we have been talking about my tendency towards perfectionism in art and really everything, he has asked me to notice the way that I talk to myself(inner dialogue wise…I'm not crazy…well only a little), and I have been amazed at how much I talk myself down. I think that most of my thoughts about myself are negative and it has been serious brain-hurting work to start changing that. 

Instead of thinking, "I'm terrible at this," think "I'm getting better than I was yesterday." 

Seriously, most of the time I think I am doing horribly, both Hans and Norma will come and praise my work. Chill out, Katina…

So, day by day, I am coming closer to having a correct view of myself, which is pretty exciting!

                                        

                                                               Hoeilaart town hall

I've been running too, which is quite a change from the yoga, kickboxing, and hiking that I have been doing. I have a love/hate relationship with it right now, but it is just another lesson in perseverance. And seriously, with all the delicious beer, chocolate, and waffels around, I had better do something or I am going to lose all the progress I have made! (Though I haven't had a waffel yet and that needs to be remedied very soon.) So I'm starting out slowly, but I am excited to see where I'm at when I leave. 

                                   

In other news, jet lag is slowly getting better and I'm not waking up every hour and finally giving up and getting out of bed before the crack of dawn.  

 

Also, some super exciting things:

Hans and Norma's son got here today and we are all headed to Normandy on Wednesday for a couple days. We are going to see some war memorials and then hopefully see Mont Saint Michel after that (which is what I am really excited about). Seriously…France!!!

We will come back home for a couple days and then drive through Luxembourg and France to Hans' hometown in Switzerland for a week for his birthday! I'm going to Switzerland, guys!!! So, seriously I'm getting to do a lot more traveling than I ever thought and am going to enjoy every minute of it. I am just required to take my sketchbook everywhere, which is totally fine with me! 

                                   

I can't believe I haven't even been here a whole week yet. I'm excited about all the time I have left! 

Love to all! 

And even though I'm having loads of fun, know you are missed.

Xoxo,

Katina