How do you do it?

Setting the scene: Erik and I had just spent the entire evening at the Christmas festival, riding the ferris wheel, taking in the sights, and enjoying each other's company.

Once we got off the ferris wheel, we didn’t really know what to do. For once, our feet weren’t cold! Neither were our bodies! For the first time in Brussels, we WANTED to stay outside!!!!

We decided to view Brussels panorama style at night. We’d gotten a map for young travelers earlier in the week that outlined the best tings to do in the city. They said that if you were looking for a panorama, skip the 10euro Atonium (Brussel’s version of the Eiffel tower) and go to this free parking garage, and take the elevator to the top floor. They also mentioned bring a bottle of wine and lawn chairs, but weather permitting I think we did something much better.

We got to the top, and stepped out of the elevator. We looked out into this vast, empty parking lot and saw that we were its only guests. This is absolutely amazing. The views from up here were indescribable. We could see EVERY view from the city. An entire panorama, for free. Once away from the elevator, there was only natural light to guide us around.

The parking lot is around the length of a city block, and about half as wide. We had our own concrete playground in the middle of Brussels. BOOYAH!

*Okay- so, let me interject something that may seem random at the moment. During my family Christmas party, it was discussed, “How do they do it?” “How do they spend literally EVERY MOMENT together without losing it?” “Are they on speaking terms?” (hahahah!)

We enjoyed the view, and of course took the traditional pictures of each other, and then together. Kissy, Kissy, life is great,look at that building, and that one.. etc.

*One more interjection- Erik has been like a kid in a candy store with this snow. It is the BEST packing snow, and I will give it to him, a perfect snow ball is made nearly effortlessly. But, the thing is, I don’t even have to play along. I don’t have to say, Yes Erik, I’d love to have a snow ball fight with you. Actually, let me correct that, I could say, Erik, don’t throw snow balls at me, and walk two paces ahead of him. Then… silence.

WACK. Domes me in the back of the head. WACK, Domes me in the leg, the back, the arm.. you get the picture.

So occasionally, when the mood strikes me, I fight back, but most of the time he’s content playing with himself and using me as a test dummy for quality control on his snowballs.

Alright, back to the story.

So, we’re relishing in the moment, and I see Erik put his camera away. A magic beam of moonlight streams across his face. Such an occasion struck, and I was stealth in packing my snowball.

WACK. BOOM! SCORE!!!!!!!! Hit Erik in the jacket.

Well, that magic beam of moonlight perfectly lit his now angry face. His camera case wasn’t entirely closed. I felt horrible. I would NEVER throw a snowball at him with his camera case open. Luckily, no snow got on the camera. But a sour look emerged on his face. I could tell he was clearly holding his tongue. The kind of tongue holding that is necessary without waging a world war with your only ally on a 6 month tour.

I cried, “Why didn’t you say something? I would’ve NEVER thrown that at you had you said something!”

“What?! Why make this about me and what I DIDN’T do, YOU threw the snowball!!!”

Okay, so he was right. I threw the snowball. I felt bad, and he was doing his best to not unleash a lot of fury my way. I conceded and was ready to walk back to the elevator.

‘Stupid, stupid timing,’ was running through my head when the FASTEST, WELT MAKING snowball crashed into my thigh.

I turned around with lightning speed. “TTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHATTTT HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURT!!” I probably snared like a wolf. Here I thought he threw this mega revenge snowball at me, with the intent of snapping my femur. Okay, eye for an eye… maybe I deserved it. I kept walking.

WACK. Got me in the back. Hard. T.H.A.T.S. I.T.!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now you’ve done it.

*Here is where the ‘how do they do it’ part comes in. Here is the answer, the trick to survival.

I looked at him with a stare that only meant one thing. He greeted my stare with affirmation. IT WAS ON. Partially out of frustration, partially out of fun, we were going to burn this candle at both ends.

I packed my camera away faster than it takes to utter a breath of apology.

I BOLTED towards him. That stream of moonlight I was talking about? Madeline versus Erik: A Moonlight Duel in Brussels.

ARRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swept my hands into the perfectly moldable snow, and get this-- grabbed, and MADE the snowballs on my attack run. I was screaming a gladiator scream- partly to intimidate him, partly because it was really fun.

I threw them as hard as I could. Granted my aim is fresh out of the attic, and probably similar to an 8 year olds, it was a piping hot bullet honed in for the head of Erik James Amend.

Of course, Erik was on high alert and greeted my present with a blocking fist. That was okay, because the snowball exploded and 80% of the snow nicely spattered his face.

I laughed, hard. With long overdue delight.

Well, no sooner than I really started laughing, Eriks long arms were ricocheting snowball after snowball at me. We were both laughing, yet were engaged in a real standoff. He was throwing for keeps, and so was I.

He’d gotten me good a number of times in a row, and now I was mad. I’d missed him… ohhh around the last 15 snowballs, and had snow plastered in every crevice of my body.

I windmill threw one in his general direction. I got him RIGHT in the back of the head. He spun around and GLARED at me.

…..I ran. I ran hard. As I mentioned before, this parking lot is HUGE. I had many scapegoats, but none which led to my safety. I remember glancing back and seeing Erik’s hands FULL of snow. RUUUUUUUUN.

Ahhhaha, ya right. He took my feet out, and I FLEW. I flew through the air like the superstar I am. Midflight, I was gearing up for my next move. I knew it wasn’t over, and that his revenge was far from complete. I swear, he’s like a cat. Just when I thought we went down simultaneously, and I might stand a chance of getting in a good solid face wash, he pounced. BAM, he jumped on top of me and SMEARED my face.. a good hard rubbing with freezing cold snow.

GASP. Startled, I stared at him. SILENCE.

Then, I broke into a belly laughter fit for a king. He started too, and we both laid there laughing and laughing under the open sky, on the top of a parking garage, over looking all of Brussels.

*So that’s how we do it. You keep it real, you duke it out. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.