Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Monday, June 19, 2017

Day 10 in AMERICA!

It has really been a whirlwind, but I'll try and catch up. 

We had our final walkthrough of our house on the 6th of June.  All was well, all was great (except the oil, which is still being looked at as the heaters have been messed up).  On the 7th, we had a great going away dinner for me and Delilah with some of our closest friends (and it was our 9 year anniversary!!!). 

On the 8th, we prepared to leave.  I finished packing up the suitcases, making sure every little thing was in the right spot and anything I needed to be accessible was accessible (like orders/passports/health paperwork/pet paperwork).  Ben loaded the car, and we went to go check in at the airport.  Stood in line about 40 minutes with pets and heavy bags, and discovered that our flight was actually 4 hours delayed!  So after dropping off the bags, we went with the pets and had a happy meal picnic at a playground where Delilah played and Ben and I just sat peacefully.  It was the perfect temperature outside, and we just enjoyed the company.  

He dropped us off at the airport, stood in line with us until we finally had to go through security.  That's when I started breaking down, Delilah was breaking down, he was breaking down.  We hugged tight and gave kisses, and he had to leave.  Watching him walk away was so hard.  I know this isn't a long separation, only a month, but it's still hard.

We made it through security, Delilah found some friends to play with before we boarded.  Once we were herded onto the plane, we were just about to sit down in the middle seats of the middle section of this giant plane when a man stopped us.  He asked how many were in our party, and offered us seats in the executive suite.  I was SO thankful.  A little more room and an aisle seat for my pregnant butt.  Plus, I had a little more space to get up and move around so I didn't get bad feet swelling or anything.  It was a long flight (8 1/2 hours), and I think I got about an hour and a half of sleep.  Delilah got about 3.  We landed in Baltimore at midnight and finally got our bags at 1:30am.  God bless Katie who was waiting for us and took us to the hotel so we could rest for a couple hours before our next flight.  Delilah fell asleep right away, but I couldn't.  I got about an hour in the hotel, then woke up with too much racing through my head.

Left for the airport again at 4am, got there and in line by 4:30ish, and it took a full hour to get the pets checked in.  Everyone was moving so SLOWLY.  It was 5:30 by the time I got to security, and the line was about 50 people long. I knew we were going to miss our flight...so I grabbed Delilah and cut everyone.  Yeah, dick move, but I was 26 weeks pregnant with a 5 year old and pets flying across the world on 2.5 hours of sleep.  Sue me.  Got through security (which is a pain because I can't go through the detectors, Delilah can, so we are separated and all our stuff AND this lady tried putting her baskets in between min), but we got through it.  We both RAN to our gate, and made it in time to grab a water right next door to the gate to get on the plane.  (I forgot about added tax in America, that was stupid)  Could have missed our flight...but we didn't.  Had some kind of angel pushing my slow booty faster to that gate.  God bless my child who is also running on little sleep for being amazing and a trooper and generally the best kid ever dot com.

Got on the plane, and we treated ourselves to a reese's pb cup and she had some m&ms.  Candy at 6am?  Why the heck not?  We deserve it at this point.  She got our her kindle and read some books while I sat there just being thankful that we were on the flight.  That one was short, Baltimore to Detroit.  Once we got to Detroit, she still had some airline pretzels in her purse (because the flight attendants were super kind and gave her a ton...that reminds me, I gotta tweet the Delta flight twitter and thank them), so she snacked while we waited at the gate, which wasn't long.  About 30 minutes and we were on the next flight headed to KC!  

Landed early in KC, so mom hadn't made it yet.  We were waiting for our baggage when I turned around and THERE SHE WAS!  I can't tell you how wonderful it was seeing her after 3.5 years and how much it made my heart burst when Delilah yelled, "GRANDMA" and just hugged her.  it was just so sweet.  Her friend Mike came with to help get all our things home and we had an easy ride home.  Delilah slept some on the way, but I was too jazzed.  We stayed awake visiting and hanging out with my mom and Jack all day, and they grilled for us!  Delilah fit right in with everyone, it was like we hadn't been gone at all.  Even all the dogs got along, formed their own little pack right away.  My 9 year old dog is out running in the yard with the 2 and 3 year old pups that my mom has.  It is just so neat to see!  

We haven't really taken a "break" since getting here.  I had a house inspection to go to (omg the house we are buying is in such good condition), and everything went great on that.  The sellers are fixing the minor issues (like fixing a light socket) and so that's taken care of.  It's so roomy and homey and I've already got big plans for it!  If everything goes according to plan, we can sign closing papers on July 17th, so I'm just trucking along, making that happen.  

Been looking for a car too.  I've got a nice guy at a Honda dealership looking for the exact model/year/price range I want, so I'm kind of letting him take the reigns because I have told him exactly what I want and they have an extensive buying network.  

Got seen by the doctor I wanted to be seen and will deliver the twins at the hospital that I chose.  Excellent NICU, nursing staff, maternal heart clinic, and came with a personal recommendation from a friend.  Met the doctor today, and I'm very happy with my choice.  The twins are doing well, both feel very strong, they definitely do some interesting flips/moves once I lay down for the evening.  I am a couple days shy of 28 weeks, and I've gained about 19lbs.  Not doing anything except eating when I'm hungry and eating well.  I do stretches and some body weight exercises (very lightly) each evening, and that seems to help me sleep...except my hips hurt and I have to switch sides all the time.  

Ben...Ben just got done running an ULTRAMARATHON at the Zugspitz because he is amazing and a badass.  Ran 62k, including up a mountain and I couldn't be more proud.  
GO, BEN! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!

Seriously though, look at that guy (in the orange).  I'm one lucky lady. 

Next on the list?  Just making lists for the house and waiting patiently until Ben comes back to us.  (COME TO AMERICA QUICKLY, PLEASE)

So there's a brief (long) catchup of our 10 days in America.  

I don't know what I would do without my mom and Jack.  Mom has been amazing and helping us with basically everything.  She and Delilah are so much like me and my grandma it's uncanny.  I love seeing their relationship blossom and bloom.  It's making me so happy.  I'm so thankful for my mom, she has no idea how deep my gratitude goes.  I just hope that by telling her every day how much I appreciate it and how much I love her that she knows. :)

That's all for now. I'm going to go wash my face/brush my teeth and watch The Office.  

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Getting this dang old thing started back up

Life has gotten in the way of writing.
Last year was a whirlwind, and it taught me a lot about family, friendships, and what is important in life.  I learned who I can rely on, who I can't, and why it's important to always take a step back and evaluate situations/people.  

Updates: 

My family is really dope, and about to be even doper.

I have traveled to some amazing places.

I have eaten some great food.

I was in a theater production of Mary Poppins and it was amazing.

Through theater, I have met some of the most interesting and delightful friends.

I have learned a lot about friendship.


Delilah is on spring break this week, so I'm planning on having us take a couple outings to the local animal places this week.  I love going, she loves going.

We also have been getting our house/plans in order for our return to America this year.  I'm thrilled to say that we will be returning to Missouri after not living there since 2008!  We will only be about 40 minutes drive from my mom, and that just makes me so happy.  Delilah cannot WAIT to get there.  Ben is sending us (along with the pets) back at the beginning of June so we can get a car, get established and comfortable, and begin looking for a house.  That's right, we are going to BUY!  He will join us in July when his duty in Germany is complete.  It's only a month until our first shipment of goods gets picked up and taken to America, so time is quickly running out for us to get organized for that!  Today, we made some strides and pulled things from the attic to donate/organize for the movers to pack.  The guest room is slowly transforming into the "moving room", which is fine.

Tomorrow brings errands to the on base store, German grocery, the post office, and possibly to the flower fields to pick some beautiful blooms to have at our home.
Seems like the perfect way to spend a Monday.

Hope you all had an excellent weekend!




Thursday, April 30, 2015

Whoops, I've been lazy. BUT I WAS IN PARIS

Yeah, that's right.  I went to Paris.  

YEP!  Surprise trip planned by my husband and Liz's...incredible!

Pretty sure this sums us up perfectly.


Notre Dame!  WOW!

Of COURSE you have to get macaroons in Paris.  

Champs Elysees with 2 of my favorite girls ever.

Get nerdy with me.  


Yeah, this is Hagrid's chair.  and I'm sitting in it.

I can't recommend going to the Catacombs enough.  Just incredible.



Lots of drinking....

DAY 1:
So we took the Ice Train from Kaiserslautern to the heart of Paris.  Train was fun and fast.  Ran very smoothly.  We had all been up since like 4:30am, we were tired, but totally jazzed to be there!
Took a cab to Notre Dame.  It was INCREDIBLE.  I felt like singing "God Help the Outcasts", but I refrained somehow.  

Caught a Hop On Hop Off bus from there to the Champs Elysees.  Saw it, it's BEAUTIFUL.  The area around there is very busy, but it's one of the few places that wasn't totally dirty. (Yeah, Paris is pretty filthy)  We walked around the shops and had lunch and cocktails at a little cafe.  Cocktails were SO good!  It was a gorgeous sunny day, so there we were, just walking around Paris in sundresses drinking cocktails.  (AM I IN A MOVIE?!)

After that, we got the bus to the Eiffel Tower.  Can I just explain to you how amazing it is to see something like that in person?  I mean, countless movies and TV shows...and I got to go there.  WOW.  It's enormous and so we stopped there and had drinks at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.  I feel like I'm bragging, but this was totally on my bucket list!

Stayed there for awhile, and ended up missing the last bus pick up!  Had to cab it back to the train station because we were staying in Saint Denis (because that's where the Harry Potter expo was).  Got our luggage from the train station and found out that we couldn't just take a train there.  We had to catch a bus to the subway station and then take the subway to our destination.  Now, this is a pretty daunting task for 3 tipsy girls at night in a foreign country.  BUT WE DID IT!  The bus drove by the Moulin Rouge, and it is in a REALLY shady part of town.  Rats.  Got onto the subway successfully and managed to figure out which stop to take.  Found our hotel, got some food, and promptly fell asleep.

DAY 2:

Woke up and got ready for the day, and headed out thinking we would get a cup of coffee and a croissant for breakfast.  
NEWSFLASH: Saint Denis is really unpleasant and shady.  Nothing was open and it was filthy. Every establishment had weird people in track suits who looked like they were part of some crime group.  We were almost worried to step into any place.  Not that it mattered, apparently France does breakfast until like 10, and then no place serves anything until noon.  It is so bizarre.  We had to stop and get money from an ATM and this guy came up and started to try to get my attention and just became more aggressive as I ignored him.  We took a cab right outta there.  

Then, HARRY POTTER EXPO!  It was incredible, guys.  Real costumes, props, and all kinds of stuff from the movies.  It was put together SO WELL.  I got Delilah a Quidditch shirt and a Ravenclaw magnet for me...as well as a million pictures.  Seriously, I couldn't have asked for anything more from the expo.  It was just so awesome.  Truly something every fan should be able to do.  

After that, hopped a subway back to Paris for lunch, drinks, and just walking around.  We walked through this AMAZING graveyard.  Europe knows how to do graveyards, guys.  It was beautiful.  Well kept too!  Walked through the catacombs (only a 45 min wait in line, so it wasn't bad!).  I think the catacombs is in my top 5 favorite things I've done out here.  It was hauntingly beautiful.  The amount of bones...I can't even describe it.  There's no barrier, if you wanted to touch them, you totally could.  No, I didn't touch any of them, yikes!  Just thinking about how many dead people are down there, it really makes you quite somber.  I loved it.  

After that, we walked around to different cafes having snacks and drinks.  It was just a blast.  The girls I went with, I don't know if I could have had more fun with anyone else.

Back to the hotel (navigated the subway successfully) for more drinks and silliness.  

DAY 3:
We are tired.

No showers, too tired.

Gather up stuff and get going.  Subway was no problem, but we had a long wait for the bus.  We were in a super shady area of Paris (after leaving Saint Denis and actually having men call out to us at like 7am and drive backwards down a road to then just drive next to us slowly as we walked).  Waiting at the bus station, we DEFINITELY saw a shop that was a front for something else.  It was just an aisle, but people would go in, and different people would come out. Some weirdo high lady was trying to talk to us about how much our bags are worth and "talk fast, talk fast"...people smoking hookahs and looking like they are in the Russian or Czech mob driving up in front of us and going into the shop...then a bum fight.  Luckily, our bus came, and we made it out of there intact.  Phew. 

Took the ice train back and ended up next to some pretty funny Germans who were making jokes about messing with us while we dozed without realizing that I understand some German and Amanda speaks fluent German.  We visited and laughed with them the rest of the trip back.  Fun times, very happy.

Made it back home, and Delilah ran to me and cried a little saying she missed me so much.  That made me really sad and happy.  It was our first weekend away from each other and Ben's first time with her by himself!  He's never had her overnight without me!  Her only overnights without me have been with my mom and I'm always there bright and early to get her.  

I was a pretty incredibly trip, and I'm so thankful for Ben doing this for me. 






Sunday, March 8, 2015

Totally forgot to post last week.

It's saved in my drafts. I just never got to posting it after making it.  Oh well, whatever.  This week/weekend was more interesting anyway.

First, I am really excited that I ran at a faster speed and for longer than I ever have before.  I think I would have been able to keep going, but I got excited and forgot to control my breathing. ha!  I was quite proud of myself, especially because I HATE running.  

Another heart check up on Friday.  Back in October, the battery life had 16 months left. Then in Jan, it only had 8 months!  They were worried that I would have to have surgery in April.  Got it looked at and discovered that I still had 6 months.  Still have to have surgery this year, but it's not draining as fast.  Part of me thinks that it's due to not only eating well, but working out more and getting more physically fit.  I've always been in relatively good shape, but now I'm actually working on being fit and it's definitely helping me in more ways than just appearance!  

Went back to Heidelberg yesterday.  Instead of driving, we took the train and it was REALLY easy!  (really fun too!)  

Train was easy to do. No wonder everyone uses it around here!
Someone was a little sleepy when we first got there...
At the castle!


In front of a bakery. I love Germany.


Inside the castle grounds

A great group to explore a Germany city with!

LOVE.

Hello from a castle!

Yeah, had a great weekend. We were all pretty tired afterwards, totally worth it though.

Breakfast:
Greek yogurt banana muffins
Oatmeal with PB2&honey
Greek yogurt with honey & blueberries
Cereal, juice, and toast

Lunch:
Pizza buns with veggies
Tuna salad (with greek yogurt not mayo), crackers, and carrots
Chicken & quinoa salad
PB/J, apple slices
Leftovers

Dinner:
Leftovers

Snacks:
Chopped fruits
Chopped veggies


There you have it!



Sunday, October 12, 2014

I've been in 3 countries in 3 days!

Before I get to that, I'm gonna list out my menu for the week:

Dinners:

Lunches:
Bagel with PB&honey, banana, carrots
Boiled eggs, waffle, and grapes
Leftovers
Spinach quesedilla with black beans
Annie's mac&cheese, apple slices, broccoli

Breakfast: 
(all served with apple or carrot juice)
Cereal&fruit
Yogurt&smoothie pop
Waffle with PB&honey
Oatmeal
Eggs with English muffin

Snacks:
Hummus&crackers
Smoothie
Fruit kebobs
Broccoli and greek dip


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now onto the travels:

Tuesday, Ben took some leave and we got to go on a little vacation.  He was gone most of the summer, so being able to take a trip together was really awesome.

We headed out on Tuesday after Delilah's gymnastics class and drove straight to Trier.  It's the oldest city in Germany and is just BEAUTIFUL.  We parked in the city center and just started walking around.

St. Peter's Cathedral!

In front of the Cathedral

In the Porta de Nigra


Ben and Delilah in front of Porta de Nigra

After we were done wandering around, we went to our beautiful hotel overlooking the river and had dinner.  

Next day, we headed out for Waterloo, Belgium to see Butte de Lion.


These steps were AWFUL to climb. It was so steep!



It was super windy

Stayed at the Air Base in Belgium which was pretty OK.  Had dinner at a Thai place there before heading to bed completely exhausted.  Next day, we headed to Bruges!  We had heard that Bruges is much better than Brussels (and didn't have the dirty cat pee smell to it either), so we decided to go there.




Famous Bruges belfry. Built in the 1400s and we got to climb the narrow spiral staircase all the way to the top!

Hanging out by the canals.

On the way back to the hotel after Bruges, Ben took us along the coast of the North Sea. This is on a beach in Oostende, Belgium.  It was beautiful.


The most well traveled kid. She had a great time and was amazing on our little adventure.


I cannot wait to go on the next trip. It was so much fun.  So thankful to be living out here!





Sunday, October 5, 2014

Dallas, TX can kiss my butt.

First of all, I just want to say that moving to Germany has been a wonderful experience...


HOWEVER

I have been separated from Rilo and Margot since April now, and that does not make me happy.  We had to leave them in the care of my mom, and thank goodness she could do it, but I miss them.  We ended up spending almost 40 days in a no pets allowed temporary living facility before we were able to get into our house...so there wouldn't have been a place for them right away.  Then we tried to get them out, and it was too hot.  Then we were planning on Ben bringing them back when he was on TDY in OK City...but his flight flew through Heathrow, and no live animals can be flown in there. 

SO.

Now we are just waiting for temps to go down in Dallas so that we can get our babies over here.  They will fly out through American Airlines from KC to Dallas and then straight to Frankfurt.  There have been a couple days where the temp is listed as below 85, but it's still too close and I don't want to chance them not getting to fly out.  This is just so frustrating.  Everything is very difficult.

*********************************************


This is a view right outside my village.





My little model.  

Family day!


Apple-Happle picking!

She had a complete blast picking apples to take home.

 




Walking through the orchards.

Tart apple dipped in chocolate (that she got to dip herself!)


Ended the day with a pony ride.


Super fun day, getting ready to take a short little family trip to a nearby city.  We haven't gotten to travel much out here since he was gone so much this summer and was in training.  It's not very expensive to travel, especially when there's a military instillation near where we want to go!  Cheap hotel and then going and walking around in Belgium!  Inexpensive family trip in Europe.  It's pretty awesome.  Looking forward to it.