We have been back in the States for a week now. Actually, a week exactly as I am writing this. It has been a whirlwind of a week and I haven't had much of a chance to communicate with the outside world so I will try to catch up now.
The trip over was amazingly smooth. I didn't even feel stressed as we were leaving for the airport. The kids did remarkably well on the flight although poor M got a workout as he rocked CB in the back of the plane for a couple of hours to keep her asleep. W was a champ, as usual, and only took a couple of days to adjust to the time change.
I, however, am having a harder time adjusting to the time difference. It's not the jetlag that is killing me, but the fact that I now wake up after my friends in the States, instead of before them. I am so used to waking up to "yesterday's" emails and messages and not "today's". Not to mention that I don't have to wait until 6pm to call businesses on the West Coast. I have to admit that I've been slacking off because I keep thinking, "I can do it tonight", but by the time tonight rolls around, everything is closed and everyone is sleeping.
We have been quite productive this week though. Highlights include: 2 trips to IKEA (and no fighting), getting my iPhone and trying to figure the darn thing out, a 2 hour drive to get our insurance set up, multiple trips to Target, Whole Foods, the mall, getting about 7 inches cut off my hair and having it colored for the first time in 3 years, a trip to the Aquarium for the kids and a fantastic dinner at the best fish market on earth, taking M back to the airport and saying goodbye to him until he comes back in a couple of months, going to a birthday party and doing more shopping, doing Easter Sunday and then finally unpacking our 8 suitcases today. It is no wonder that I am beat and itch like crazy.
I am not used to this lifestyle. I am not used to all of the shopping and socializing and being busy. In Germany, we live in a quiet little bubble and go out 3 times a week. I can go 2-3 days without talking to anyone but the kids and my husband. Not here. It is NON STOP here. There is always something to do, something to look at, money to spend. I have to say that I am dealing with some serious culture shock! Stupid things, like billboards, are incredibly distracting and frustrating to me now. You don't see billboards in Germany, and if you do, they are small, not 5,000 feet wide and lit with enough lights to light the block. Traffic, and stop lights. Seriously! How many stop lights do there have to be within 4 blocks? And what is up with the people here? Have people just gotten more rude and self centered or am I just really cranky? It is just all too much, too much stuff, too much trash, too many people talking to themselves on their bluetooths...
It is going to take a lot of adjusting to get used to life here again. I've only been gone for 6 months, but it feels different coming back this time. Maybe it is because I know that our time in Germany is up, and we won't be going back. I will really miss living in Germany but I am happy to be back in America, despite my wicked case of culture shock. We just need a chance to get settled and into a routine... and by the time we do that, the twins will be here and EVERYTHING will change, again. Good times!
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
breaking news
Well, it seems that we are finally getting what we wanted, just not how we wanted it or when we wanted it or as smoothly as we wanted it, but we rarely ever get what we want in life anyway, right?
We have known our time in Germany was coming to a close for awhile, but we just didn't know when it would be. Originally, we were supposed to stay here until November. Then we were told July, then we were told March and then July again. After we found out we were having twins, we knew we needed to have a concrete moving date because you can't exactly just fly across the world when you are 36 weeks pregnant with twins like you can when you are pregnant with 1 baby. During the height of my all day sickness in late January, we were told that we needed to move back to the States in March, giving me about 3 weeks to get the house ready to be packed and because we have to move again 5 months after we move to the States, we would be moving again about 2 days after my due date. That wasn't going to work. So we moved heaven and earth to try to get a different move date.
After tons of paperwork and way too much drama, we finally did get a different date date, and even the date we wanted. So here is the plan: The kids and I are moving back to the States in about 3 weeks. We will go back to CA and stay with my parents until after the twins are born and after M is done with this next assignment next year.
Before everyone starts speculating and talking, let me explain a few things, just to squash the inevitable rumors:
1) Our marriage is not in trouble. We are just fine, I promise. There's no need to send us inspirational emails or books on marriage. Yes, we are making a choice to be separated, but we aren't separated.
2) We are doing this purely because of logistics. M can't leave Germany until June and by then, I'll either be way too pregnant to move, in any sense of the word, or worst case, I could be holding my 2 precious babies instead of gestating them. I can't fly past the end of April, given my history of preterm labor and (EARMUFFS, boys!) early dilation, so I need to go now. I don't want to spend 2 months alone at M's next assignment with 2 kids, waiting for him to get there, so that is why we are going to CA.
3) CA is our best option for numerous reasons. The kids have a fantastic doctor there, there is a team of specialists who know and understand our history of GI problems should one or both of these babies have the same problems, W loves the preschool there and I'm sure CB will too, and can we say LIVE IN HELP?! Um, yeah. There you go.
4) This decision did not come lightly or on a whim. We have talked about this and agonized over it since the day we found out we were having twins. I am completely at peace with it, as is M. I mean, there are a few things that bother me, like I'll be missing out on Cracker Barrel and Braums, but I will be in the land of In-n-Out and REAL Mexican food (I'm just gonna say it, TexMex is NOT Mexican food, sorry!) We are going to be ok. M can fly in to see us on his long weekends and we will be able to call each other whenever we want to. Now that is a strange idea given the fact that we just went through 15 months of once every 3 week phone calls and once a week emails.
There is so much to do in the next few weeks though. The movers aren't coming until after the kids and I are gone, so I have to have the house organized by what I want in what boxes. I don't want to open up our boxes when we pull them from storage in 10 months and find the bathroom mats in with the kitchen dishes or the extra office supplies packed with the garden hose. And because all of our house hold goods are going into storage for 10 months, I need to have all of the curtains, cushions and mats washed and perfectly folded before they get boxed up. Not to mention that the customs dude is so anal that there can't be a speck of dirt on any shoe, flower pot or outdoor toy that you pack, so all of those have to be cleaned and the holes in the wall have to be filled... and the walls have to be painted... and I need to sort out what we are going to take to CA and what is going to be packed... and go through all of the baby stuff...
As much as I'm going to miss living in Germany, I'm excited to come home. I'm ready to have options where to grocery shop and be able to get my hair and nails done on a regular basis. Ok, that is SO not going to happen with twins coming. What am I thinking? Now comes the really big decision: Do I want an iPhone or a Blackberry???
We have known our time in Germany was coming to a close for awhile, but we just didn't know when it would be. Originally, we were supposed to stay here until November. Then we were told July, then we were told March and then July again. After we found out we were having twins, we knew we needed to have a concrete moving date because you can't exactly just fly across the world when you are 36 weeks pregnant with twins like you can when you are pregnant with 1 baby. During the height of my all day sickness in late January, we were told that we needed to move back to the States in March, giving me about 3 weeks to get the house ready to be packed and because we have to move again 5 months after we move to the States, we would be moving again about 2 days after my due date. That wasn't going to work. So we moved heaven and earth to try to get a different move date.
After tons of paperwork and way too much drama, we finally did get a different date date, and even the date we wanted. So here is the plan: The kids and I are moving back to the States in about 3 weeks. We will go back to CA and stay with my parents until after the twins are born and after M is done with this next assignment next year.
Before everyone starts speculating and talking, let me explain a few things, just to squash the inevitable rumors:
1) Our marriage is not in trouble. We are just fine, I promise. There's no need to send us inspirational emails or books on marriage. Yes, we are making a choice to be separated, but we aren't separated.
2) We are doing this purely because of logistics. M can't leave Germany until June and by then, I'll either be way too pregnant to move, in any sense of the word, or worst case, I could be holding my 2 precious babies instead of gestating them. I can't fly past the end of April, given my history of preterm labor and (EARMUFFS, boys!) early dilation, so I need to go now. I don't want to spend 2 months alone at M's next assignment with 2 kids, waiting for him to get there, so that is why we are going to CA.
3) CA is our best option for numerous reasons. The kids have a fantastic doctor there, there is a team of specialists who know and understand our history of GI problems should one or both of these babies have the same problems, W loves the preschool there and I'm sure CB will too, and can we say LIVE IN HELP?! Um, yeah. There you go.
4) This decision did not come lightly or on a whim. We have talked about this and agonized over it since the day we found out we were having twins. I am completely at peace with it, as is M. I mean, there are a few things that bother me, like I'll be missing out on Cracker Barrel and Braums, but I will be in the land of In-n-Out and REAL Mexican food (I'm just gonna say it, TexMex is NOT Mexican food, sorry!) We are going to be ok. M can fly in to see us on his long weekends and we will be able to call each other whenever we want to. Now that is a strange idea given the fact that we just went through 15 months of once every 3 week phone calls and once a week emails.
There is so much to do in the next few weeks though. The movers aren't coming until after the kids and I are gone, so I have to have the house organized by what I want in what boxes. I don't want to open up our boxes when we pull them from storage in 10 months and find the bathroom mats in with the kitchen dishes or the extra office supplies packed with the garden hose. And because all of our house hold goods are going into storage for 10 months, I need to have all of the curtains, cushions and mats washed and perfectly folded before they get boxed up. Not to mention that the customs dude is so anal that there can't be a speck of dirt on any shoe, flower pot or outdoor toy that you pack, so all of those have to be cleaned and the holes in the wall have to be filled... and the walls have to be painted... and I need to sort out what we are going to take to CA and what is going to be packed... and go through all of the baby stuff...
As much as I'm going to miss living in Germany, I'm excited to come home. I'm ready to have options where to grocery shop and be able to get my hair and nails done on a regular basis. Ok, that is SO not going to happen with twins coming. What am I thinking? Now comes the really big decision: Do I want an iPhone or a Blackberry???
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
on the homefront
CB's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and her present arrived yesterday. I got her the Fisher Price My First Dollhouse and all of the fun accessories. She was so excited when she got it and her eyes lit up like never before. This is really the first time her dad and I have gotten her her "own" toy. She normally just shares everything with W, but she was really ready to play with something else besides trucks and train tracks.
After I had opened up the three thousand packages that came with this thing and had untied the ninety million twisty ties, she immediately went to work setting up the house and putting everything where she thought it should go. Once she had the rooms set up, she put the mom in bed and the dad in the kitchen. She told me the mom was sick and the dad was doing the dishes. Um... oops? 3 months ago I'm pretty sure she would have put the mom in the kitchen because that is where I was all the time, but since I have spent the past 12 weeks laying on my fat butt, she now thinks that moms just lay down all day. I am not setting a very good example, am I?
In my defense, I am getting better. I had a great day yesterday, even made gumbo (from scratch!) for dinner and took the kids outside to play. But then I spent this morning laying on the floor in front of an open door to get some air between crawling to the fridge and microwave to get the kids their breakfast and whatever else their little hearts desired. I did finally get anti nausea meds, BUT, we are pretty sure the instructions say you have to take them with food and you have to chew them-- 2 things that aren't really possible when you want to do nothing but puke your guts out so they aren't really working for me! I'd go for the regular "American" anti nausea meds, but those make me sicker so I guess I have to suck it up and tough it out.
I know I am back to being a slacker. I tend to go in spurts; 3 days of being good about communicating and then a week or more of not. My average time for returning an email this spurt is 10 days and that is really not acceptable but it is what it is. We have so much going on right now, from trying to get the house organized and ready to pack should the Army ever give us a move date to trying to get CB's evaluations for Occupational and Physical Therapy for her sensory issues and her motor skill development done ASAP. The evaluations require me to clean the house like a madwoman because the Therapists come to our house and I don't want them to judge me. W has taken to waking up at exactly 5:13 every morning so by the time the kids go to bed and I have a second to sit and relax and/ or catch up with the people who live in my computer, the fatigue and heartburn kick in and then I just sit and groan all night about how miserable I am. M is so totally in love with me right now, it isn't even funny.
The good news is that I can officially say that the snow is gone and it is warming up! Let's just pray that we don't have one of those "Late winter freak snowstorms" anytime soon.
After I had opened up the three thousand packages that came with this thing and had untied the ninety million twisty ties, she immediately went to work setting up the house and putting everything where she thought it should go. Once she had the rooms set up, she put the mom in bed and the dad in the kitchen. She told me the mom was sick and the dad was doing the dishes. Um... oops? 3 months ago I'm pretty sure she would have put the mom in the kitchen because that is where I was all the time, but since I have spent the past 12 weeks laying on my fat butt, she now thinks that moms just lay down all day. I am not setting a very good example, am I?
In my defense, I am getting better. I had a great day yesterday, even made gumbo (from scratch!) for dinner and took the kids outside to play. But then I spent this morning laying on the floor in front of an open door to get some air between crawling to the fridge and microwave to get the kids their breakfast and whatever else their little hearts desired. I did finally get anti nausea meds, BUT, we are pretty sure the instructions say you have to take them with food and you have to chew them-- 2 things that aren't really possible when you want to do nothing but puke your guts out so they aren't really working for me! I'd go for the regular "American" anti nausea meds, but those make me sicker so I guess I have to suck it up and tough it out.
I know I am back to being a slacker. I tend to go in spurts; 3 days of being good about communicating and then a week or more of not. My average time for returning an email this spurt is 10 days and that is really not acceptable but it is what it is. We have so much going on right now, from trying to get the house organized and ready to pack should the Army ever give us a move date to trying to get CB's evaluations for Occupational and Physical Therapy for her sensory issues and her motor skill development done ASAP. The evaluations require me to clean the house like a madwoman because the Therapists come to our house and I don't want them to judge me. W has taken to waking up at exactly 5:13 every morning so by the time the kids go to bed and I have a second to sit and relax and/ or catch up with the people who live in my computer, the fatigue and heartburn kick in and then I just sit and groan all night about how miserable I am. M is so totally in love with me right now, it isn't even funny.
The good news is that I can officially say that the snow is gone and it is warming up! Let's just pray that we don't have one of those "Late winter freak snowstorms" anytime soon.
Friday, February 20, 2009
i live in a snow globe
It is true. I officially live in a snow globe. A snow globe from hell, that the devil likes to play with when he is bored and needs to get some kicks by torturing the people who live in it. Just when we were seeing signs of spring-- BAM-- we get hit with a 3 week snow storm that will. not. stop. This is not of God. My God would not do this to the people he loves. Godly snow is pretty and melts after a few days, it is inviting and makes you want to go out and play in it. This snow just sucks. It sucks so bad that it won't even stick so you can make a snowman out of it. It just sits there and accumulates.
We do have a few minutes of reprieve here and there but when it isn't snowing, it is freezing. Not like, "oh, it is cold outside" freezing. No, literally FREEZING. 7 degrees, if we are lucky. It is so cold that even the kids refuse to go outside to get in the car. The second I open the door, they simply shake their heads and say no and turn around to get back under their blankets on the couch. "Ice is for penguins, mommy. I am not a penguin." is something I hear on an hourly basis from W. That and, "Snow is for polar bears. I am not a polar bear." He is a smart kid and definitely my beach baby.
I promise you that if this snow lasts much longer, the majority of us stationed here are going to go out of our minds. This should be considered a hardship tour and we should get a heck of a lot more money for living here than we do. I have decided that if you are stationed where we are, you should automatically get Hawaii as your next duty station for a minimum of 3 years. It is really the least they could do for us. My toes are permanently frozen and my skin is so dry that I look like a snake. It is really not attractive and really quite uncomfortable. If I have to be peeling, I'd much rather be peeling from having a sunburn... just sayin.
We do have a few minutes of reprieve here and there but when it isn't snowing, it is freezing. Not like, "oh, it is cold outside" freezing. No, literally FREEZING. 7 degrees, if we are lucky. It is so cold that even the kids refuse to go outside to get in the car. The second I open the door, they simply shake their heads and say no and turn around to get back under their blankets on the couch. "Ice is for penguins, mommy. I am not a penguin." is something I hear on an hourly basis from W. That and, "Snow is for polar bears. I am not a polar bear." He is a smart kid and definitely my beach baby.
I promise you that if this snow lasts much longer, the majority of us stationed here are going to go out of our minds. This should be considered a hardship tour and we should get a heck of a lot more money for living here than we do. I have decided that if you are stationed where we are, you should automatically get Hawaii as your next duty station for a minimum of 3 years. It is really the least they could do for us. My toes are permanently frozen and my skin is so dry that I look like a snake. It is really not attractive and really quite uncomfortable. If I have to be peeling, I'd much rather be peeling from having a sunburn... just sayin.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
our first real chirstmas
M and I have been married for 5 Christmas seasons now but this was the first time we ever had a "real" Christmas together, in our own home. The first Christmas we were married was spent at his parent's house because we had just finished our first assignment and were waiting for him to leave for Korea the next week. Our second Christmas was spent 6000 miles apart. W was just a few months old and I was living in an apartment and really didn't feel like buying a tree and decorating the house. I did however, make a lot of pie that year... Our 3rd Christmas together was actually spent together, but I was hugely pregnant w/ CB and had just moved across the world to Germany and really didn't feel like doing anything. I did put up a tree, with ornaments and all, but we didn't do anything else. We were so lame that 2 days before Christmas we decided that we should probably get W something, so we bought him a puzzle and some cars and called it good. It was only at 9 that night that I realized we didn't buy wrapping paper to wrap the presents, so W never did get to open anything on Christmas morning.
Then there was last year... which really, we can just not talk about because it was so incredibly embarrassing. Never before have I been such a scrooge. I know I had good reason but seriously, that tree was inexcusable. So this year I decided to make up for it all. Germans do Christmas right and this was my last chance to have a real German Christmas, so we went all out. Well, as out as we could. For the past 4 weekends I have been dragging my poor family through the rain and snow to almost every Christmas market in a 400 km radius from our house. We quickly found out they were all pretty much the same, but we still went, if for nothing else than to say we went.
The day after Thanksgiving I pulled out all of the Christmas decorations and went to town. And 20 minutes later, I was done. Didn't have that many Christmas decorations to put up... I had picked up a few from here and there over the years, but really, my collection was pitiful. That is what online Black Friday sales are for, right? Over the next 2 weeks boxes came and our house started to look like a bad Christmas catalog. Oh well, we were in the spirit and that is all that mattered.
Christmas Day itself was incredibly uneventful. The kids woke up way too early and we put them back to bed, then we finally gave into their demands for food and took them downstairs, had some breakfast and started in on the stockings. CB was like, "What the heck is the big deal?" Probably because half the stuff in her stocking was left over from our trip back to Germany... bad mommy! W was excited as always and couldn't wait to get to the big presents.
After we were done opening all of the presents and taking all of the required pictures, M got to experience his first marathon "quick, put everything together and find batteries to make everything work before the kids revolt" session. And then I spent the rest of the morning discreetly putting tape over any and all speakers on the new toys to make them quieter. Why toy manufactures only put loud, louder and loudest as the volume settings is beyond me, but you can bet there will be some letter writing going on because there is NO reason that a child's toy needs to be that loud!
Christmas dinner was tradtional and might as well have been Thanksgiving dinner: turkey breast, green bean casserole with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce... delish. It actually wasn't bad, considering the entire week before I had the flu and had lost 4 pounds and didn't exactly feel like cooking or eating.
And that was our Christmas. Nothing exciting, but we actually did it this year. I hope it will be the start of many special Christmas days to come, but I'm not holding my breath. It looks like next Christmas will be spent moving, which means we will end up at Denny's for breakfast after opening presents under a 2 foot Charlie Brown tree in our temporary housing because all of our stuff will be in boxes, most likely 2 weeks behind us. It's gonna be great!
Here are some pictures of our house for your enjoyment and my memory books:
Then there was last year... which really, we can just not talk about because it was so incredibly embarrassing. Never before have I been such a scrooge. I know I had good reason but seriously, that tree was inexcusable. So this year I decided to make up for it all. Germans do Christmas right and this was my last chance to have a real German Christmas, so we went all out. Well, as out as we could. For the past 4 weekends I have been dragging my poor family through the rain and snow to almost every Christmas market in a 400 km radius from our house. We quickly found out they were all pretty much the same, but we still went, if for nothing else than to say we went.
The day after Thanksgiving I pulled out all of the Christmas decorations and went to town. And 20 minutes later, I was done. Didn't have that many Christmas decorations to put up... I had picked up a few from here and there over the years, but really, my collection was pitiful. That is what online Black Friday sales are for, right? Over the next 2 weeks boxes came and our house started to look like a bad Christmas catalog. Oh well, we were in the spirit and that is all that mattered.
Christmas Day itself was incredibly uneventful. The kids woke up way too early and we put them back to bed, then we finally gave into their demands for food and took them downstairs, had some breakfast and started in on the stockings. CB was like, "What the heck is the big deal?" Probably because half the stuff in her stocking was left over from our trip back to Germany... bad mommy! W was excited as always and couldn't wait to get to the big presents.
After we were done opening all of the presents and taking all of the required pictures, M got to experience his first marathon "quick, put everything together and find batteries to make everything work before the kids revolt" session. And then I spent the rest of the morning discreetly putting tape over any and all speakers on the new toys to make them quieter. Why toy manufactures only put loud, louder and loudest as the volume settings is beyond me, but you can bet there will be some letter writing going on because there is NO reason that a child's toy needs to be that loud!
Christmas dinner was tradtional and might as well have been Thanksgiving dinner: turkey breast, green bean casserole with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce... delish. It actually wasn't bad, considering the entire week before I had the flu and had lost 4 pounds and didn't exactly feel like cooking or eating.
And that was our Christmas. Nothing exciting, but we actually did it this year. I hope it will be the start of many special Christmas days to come, but I'm not holding my breath. It looks like next Christmas will be spent moving, which means we will end up at Denny's for breakfast after opening presents under a 2 foot Charlie Brown tree in our temporary housing because all of our stuff will be in boxes, most likely 2 weeks behind us. It's gonna be great!
Here are some pictures of our house for your enjoyment and my memory books:
Monday, December 8, 2008
insane in the membrane (part 2)
On the Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving we woke up with all the anticipation we could possibly feel. The night before we had gotten a call saying our van would be there in the morning. SWEET! I was stoked, and then the sales dude gave me the to-do list that we had to complete before we could pick the thing up. Bummer. Seriously, everything we needed to do could have been done the week before but he failed to tell us. And then he acted surprised that I didn't know we had to do these things and hadn't done them already. For real, things that would have been nice to know yesterday...
So after going to post to pick M up and filling out some forms and going to another building, we had to leave post to go get our license plates. As we were driving out the gate, there it was. Our beautiful silver van, just sitting there on a truck, waiting to go on post so we could go pick it up. What a cruel, cruel thing to do to us. It was RIGHT THERE. Right in front of us and we couldn't do a thing about it. I wanted so badly to take a picture of it but I didn't think that the security guards would appreciate me taking a picture with a large zoom lense at the entrance of a military installation. Probably not a good idea. So we drove away, with tears in my eyes, and went to get our plates.
When we got there, their computers were down. Are you kidding me? Their computers were down and they couldn't call to verify our insurance information. It had to be done online. What the heck? All we needed to get our plates, and therefore our van, was for them to verify that we did in fact have insurance on our car. Since their computers were done and they couldn't tell us when they would be fixed, we left. M was smart and left me in the car when he went in to get the plates, and had already started driving away when he told me what had happened because he knew if I had a chance to go in there, someone would be coming out on a stretcher and it wasn't gonna be me.
So we left, drove back to post, resigned to the fact that we were not going to get our van that day but would have to have patience and virtue and all of that other crap and get it the next day. When we got back to post, we turned in our paper work and decided to go home. But not before M called the plate people and they told him that the plates were ready to be picked up now. Dang it! Ok, so we drove the 25 minutes back to pick up the stupid plates, but we still weren't able to pick the van that day because after we picked it up, we had to drive it directly to the customs office which was over 30 minutes away. Seriously, this was not a simple procedure!
In all, Tuesday was extremely anti climatic and we ended up being gone from 9 am to 8 pm for no real reason. My kids are troopers, that is all I can say. So Wednesday we finally got the van. FINALLY. It is amazing. It has everything we have ever needed and stuff we didn't even know we wanted. After it was officially ours, we went and celebrated another Thanksgiving with some friends of ours. And then we crashed on Thursday. I spent the entire day cleaning the house because I had neglected it for the week prior. My ball gown was still on the chair, there were about 9 loads of laundry that had to be done and I don't even want to say how long it had been since I had cleaned the bathroom. It was bad.
We took the rest of the long weekend and relaxed, which was wonderful. We needed it because on Monday, it was back to the same old same old. And now things are just as busy as they were before. We are swamped with school and errands and decorating and having people over. I haven't been this busy since I was in college and I think I'm getting way too old for this. But I will admit that I like this pace, as long as I can have a couple of days here and there to be responsible and catch up on the boring everyday things.
M's parents are here now and we have been fun traveling around our area and seeing things we haven't seen before. Soon we will go on a little road trip, on which I will be schooling the Christmas Markets. They will not know what hit them. This is my one and only chance to have a real German Christmas and by God, I'm gonna do it right. I can rest later... maybe.
So after going to post to pick M up and filling out some forms and going to another building, we had to leave post to go get our license plates. As we were driving out the gate, there it was. Our beautiful silver van, just sitting there on a truck, waiting to go on post so we could go pick it up. What a cruel, cruel thing to do to us. It was RIGHT THERE. Right in front of us and we couldn't do a thing about it. I wanted so badly to take a picture of it but I didn't think that the security guards would appreciate me taking a picture with a large zoom lense at the entrance of a military installation. Probably not a good idea. So we drove away, with tears in my eyes, and went to get our plates.
When we got there, their computers were down. Are you kidding me? Their computers were down and they couldn't call to verify our insurance information. It had to be done online. What the heck? All we needed to get our plates, and therefore our van, was for them to verify that we did in fact have insurance on our car. Since their computers were done and they couldn't tell us when they would be fixed, we left. M was smart and left me in the car when he went in to get the plates, and had already started driving away when he told me what had happened because he knew if I had a chance to go in there, someone would be coming out on a stretcher and it wasn't gonna be me.
So we left, drove back to post, resigned to the fact that we were not going to get our van that day but would have to have patience and virtue and all of that other crap and get it the next day. When we got back to post, we turned in our paper work and decided to go home. But not before M called the plate people and they told him that the plates were ready to be picked up now. Dang it! Ok, so we drove the 25 minutes back to pick up the stupid plates, but we still weren't able to pick the van that day because after we picked it up, we had to drive it directly to the customs office which was over 30 minutes away. Seriously, this was not a simple procedure!
In all, Tuesday was extremely anti climatic and we ended up being gone from 9 am to 8 pm for no real reason. My kids are troopers, that is all I can say. So Wednesday we finally got the van. FINALLY. It is amazing. It has everything we have ever needed and stuff we didn't even know we wanted. After it was officially ours, we went and celebrated another Thanksgiving with some friends of ours. And then we crashed on Thursday. I spent the entire day cleaning the house because I had neglected it for the week prior. My ball gown was still on the chair, there were about 9 loads of laundry that had to be done and I don't even want to say how long it had been since I had cleaned the bathroom. It was bad.
We took the rest of the long weekend and relaxed, which was wonderful. We needed it because on Monday, it was back to the same old same old. And now things are just as busy as they were before. We are swamped with school and errands and decorating and having people over. I haven't been this busy since I was in college and I think I'm getting way too old for this. But I will admit that I like this pace, as long as I can have a couple of days here and there to be responsible and catch up on the boring everyday things.
M's parents are here now and we have been fun traveling around our area and seeing things we haven't seen before. Soon we will go on a little road trip, on which I will be schooling the Christmas Markets. They will not know what hit them. This is my one and only chance to have a real German Christmas and by God, I'm gonna do it right. I can rest later... maybe.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
insane in the membrane (part 1)
So, these past 10 days have been fun and ridiculously busy! Even though we are officially members of the "uncool club" now that we drive a minivan (more on that later), we have proven that we aren't total losers with the amount of socializing we have done in the past week.
It all started with an impromptu frat party at my house last Friday night. Just as I was getting ready for bed, there was a knock at my door and there were 2 of M's friends, who he hadn't seen in almost 2 years. I was so happy I was informed they were coming over... If I had known, I would have at least put on some mascara and not had a tooth brush hanging out of my mouth when I answered the door. They were all supposed to go out together but the first big snow of the year made them think otherwise. Instead, my house became the party house, which I didn't mind, at least every one was safe, but by 4 in the morning, I was ready to go to bed and ready for them to fall asleep already! We had a huge day that next day. It was the day of our big ball and I needed my beauty rest.
After those 3 glorious hours of sleep, we woke up to the kids pulling the blackout shade up and down and admiring the snow. After a hearty breakfast and a lazy morning, the afternoon came too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get ready for the ball. No big deal, right? Yeah. Except it was a bad hair day.
At first, the hair turned out fantastic. I got it teased so high it was talking to Jesus and I felt like a proud beauty queen. Then I climbed in the car and it fell down. No problem, I had bobby pins, a teasing comb and hair spray, I could handle anything. So I did my hair as we were driving through a whiteout snowstorm to get to this ball. I didn't even get to see what it looked like until about 30 minutes after we had arrived. It must have looked ok because I didn't catch anyone talking trash about it.
In reality, we probably should have stayed home because of the snow but there was NO way I was going to do that after we had already bought the tickets, the dress and shoes and gotten a babysitter. Besides, the dress had to be taken up which made it unable to be returned. And I didn't bust my butt at the gym for a month to look as good as I did in that darn dress. We were going to go and we were going to have fun, darn it!
It didn't start out very fun though. When we finally got to the hotel, we ended up parking in the wrong parking garage. Have you ever walked 2 blocks in 4 inch stilettos when it is 30 degrees and snowing outside? Yeah, it sucks as much as it sounds like it does and I'll admit it, I was angry. But let me tell you, after a glass of wine, the frozen toes were a distant memory. And I had a good time. Probably too good of a time, but really, that was the most fun I have had probably since my wedding. We (I) drank, laughed, danced... M just sat and laughed at me and all of the other buzzed (drunken) fools because he so graciously offered to be the DD that night. Good times, good times. We made it home safely, and by 11:30 too. I would have loved to have stayed and danced some more, but I figured I had already made enough of a fool out of myself doing the Electric Slide, sorry, TRYING to do the Electric Slide for the first time ever, while slightly intoxicated and wearing 4 inch stilettos... That could not have been pretty. But what I really want to know is WHY people were doing the electric slide in the first place...
Pictures from the ball:
Before the hair fell--
At dinner--
That next day, after I ate another hearty breakfast, we decided to go run some errands and get the kids snow boots. That day was going to be CB's first official introduction to the snow and we wanted her to be prepared. One thing that isn't very well known about CB is that she has some issues with textures, sand being the main offender. She HATES sand. Hates it. Will not touch it, will not have anything to do with it. If something even slightly grainy gets on her hands, she will move heaven and earth to get it off. When I take her to the beach, I know I can put her in the middle of a blanket and leave her there because there is NO way she is going to walk in the sand, even with shoes on. (Of course, I don't actually leave her people, give me a break)
Because of CB's sand issue, I figured she would have issues with the snow. Not only is it grainy, but it is also cold and she doesn't like the cold either. We waited till she had woken up from her nap and was in a good mood to bundle her up and take her out in her new pink boots. And just as expected, she hated it. Actually, she despised it. She was a trooper though and stayed out for about 20 minutes. But when she came in I could tell she was irritated and did not have a good time. She made that pretty obvious when she grabbed the dish towel off of the stove, plopped down on the kitchen floor and started wiping her shoes off while saying, "DIRTY!! DIRTY!!" I laughed so hard. She is a smart little one, and extremely determined.
While CB was cleaning her shoes, I was in the kitchen making a big pot of Split Pea with Bacon and Rosemary soup for M and his buddies. On Friday afternoon at 4:45, M had gotten a call from the passport office telling him that if he wanted to get an expidited passport, he needed to be in Frankfurt at 7:30 AM on Monday morning. Yeah. Things that would have been nice to know at least 4 hours before the close of business on a Friday. This posed some serious problems: 1. Snow Storm. 2. We only had one car. 3. It was too late to rent a car. 4. The only train he could take to make it there by 7:30 left at 4am and there was really no way I was going to drive him to the train station at 4am.
Thankfully, his buddies who had invaded my house 2 nights before were gracious enough to come out to our house to pick him up and let him crash at their place, which was conveniently located about 20 minutes closer to the train station. So they came over and hung out while I force fed them split pea soup and ice cream. I don't think they complained too much.
M made it to Frankfurt in time, got all of his paperwork done and submitted and kind of made it home ok. There was a slight mix up with the train, but it ended up working out better than our original plan. Right after M got home we left to go have an early Thanksgiving at our friends' house and got back late that night. W has a total crush on our friend J. He loves her so much and talks about her all the time. He remembers EVERYTHING from when she is at our house and we are at theirs. Just today, a week later, he was telling me all about how he was watching a movie on their computer and exactly what scene was playing when J got a phone call on her computer and answered it. Lovestruck, much?
I was so excited when Tuesday came, because that was the day we were going to get our van. But of course, in true, possibly karmatic fashion, things did not work out as they were supposed to...
(Part 2 coming soon)
It all started with an impromptu frat party at my house last Friday night. Just as I was getting ready for bed, there was a knock at my door and there were 2 of M's friends, who he hadn't seen in almost 2 years. I was so happy I was informed they were coming over... If I had known, I would have at least put on some mascara and not had a tooth brush hanging out of my mouth when I answered the door. They were all supposed to go out together but the first big snow of the year made them think otherwise. Instead, my house became the party house, which I didn't mind, at least every one was safe, but by 4 in the morning, I was ready to go to bed and ready for them to fall asleep already! We had a huge day that next day. It was the day of our big ball and I needed my beauty rest.
After those 3 glorious hours of sleep, we woke up to the kids pulling the blackout shade up and down and admiring the snow. After a hearty breakfast and a lazy morning, the afternoon came too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get ready for the ball. No big deal, right? Yeah. Except it was a bad hair day.
At first, the hair turned out fantastic. I got it teased so high it was talking to Jesus and I felt like a proud beauty queen. Then I climbed in the car and it fell down. No problem, I had bobby pins, a teasing comb and hair spray, I could handle anything. So I did my hair as we were driving through a whiteout snowstorm to get to this ball. I didn't even get to see what it looked like until about 30 minutes after we had arrived. It must have looked ok because I didn't catch anyone talking trash about it.
In reality, we probably should have stayed home because of the snow but there was NO way I was going to do that after we had already bought the tickets, the dress and shoes and gotten a babysitter. Besides, the dress had to be taken up which made it unable to be returned. And I didn't bust my butt at the gym for a month to look as good as I did in that darn dress. We were going to go and we were going to have fun, darn it!
It didn't start out very fun though. When we finally got to the hotel, we ended up parking in the wrong parking garage. Have you ever walked 2 blocks in 4 inch stilettos when it is 30 degrees and snowing outside? Yeah, it sucks as much as it sounds like it does and I'll admit it, I was angry. But let me tell you, after a glass of wine, the frozen toes were a distant memory. And I had a good time. Probably too good of a time, but really, that was the most fun I have had probably since my wedding. We (I) drank, laughed, danced... M just sat and laughed at me and all of the other buzzed (drunken) fools because he so graciously offered to be the DD that night. Good times, good times. We made it home safely, and by 11:30 too. I would have loved to have stayed and danced some more, but I figured I had already made enough of a fool out of myself doing the Electric Slide, sorry, TRYING to do the Electric Slide for the first time ever, while slightly intoxicated and wearing 4 inch stilettos... That could not have been pretty. But what I really want to know is WHY people were doing the electric slide in the first place...
Pictures from the ball:
Before the hair fell--
At dinner--
That next day, after I ate another hearty breakfast, we decided to go run some errands and get the kids snow boots. That day was going to be CB's first official introduction to the snow and we wanted her to be prepared. One thing that isn't very well known about CB is that she has some issues with textures, sand being the main offender. She HATES sand. Hates it. Will not touch it, will not have anything to do with it. If something even slightly grainy gets on her hands, she will move heaven and earth to get it off. When I take her to the beach, I know I can put her in the middle of a blanket and leave her there because there is NO way she is going to walk in the sand, even with shoes on. (Of course, I don't actually leave her people, give me a break)
Because of CB's sand issue, I figured she would have issues with the snow. Not only is it grainy, but it is also cold and she doesn't like the cold either. We waited till she had woken up from her nap and was in a good mood to bundle her up and take her out in her new pink boots. And just as expected, she hated it. Actually, she despised it. She was a trooper though and stayed out for about 20 minutes. But when she came in I could tell she was irritated and did not have a good time. She made that pretty obvious when she grabbed the dish towel off of the stove, plopped down on the kitchen floor and started wiping her shoes off while saying, "DIRTY!! DIRTY!!" I laughed so hard. She is a smart little one, and extremely determined.
While CB was cleaning her shoes, I was in the kitchen making a big pot of Split Pea with Bacon and Rosemary soup for M and his buddies. On Friday afternoon at 4:45, M had gotten a call from the passport office telling him that if he wanted to get an expidited passport, he needed to be in Frankfurt at 7:30 AM on Monday morning. Yeah. Things that would have been nice to know at least 4 hours before the close of business on a Friday. This posed some serious problems: 1. Snow Storm. 2. We only had one car. 3. It was too late to rent a car. 4. The only train he could take to make it there by 7:30 left at 4am and there was really no way I was going to drive him to the train station at 4am.
Thankfully, his buddies who had invaded my house 2 nights before were gracious enough to come out to our house to pick him up and let him crash at their place, which was conveniently located about 20 minutes closer to the train station. So they came over and hung out while I force fed them split pea soup and ice cream. I don't think they complained too much.
M made it to Frankfurt in time, got all of his paperwork done and submitted and kind of made it home ok. There was a slight mix up with the train, but it ended up working out better than our original plan. Right after M got home we left to go have an early Thanksgiving at our friends' house and got back late that night. W has a total crush on our friend J. He loves her so much and talks about her all the time. He remembers EVERYTHING from when she is at our house and we are at theirs. Just today, a week later, he was telling me all about how he was watching a movie on their computer and exactly what scene was playing when J got a phone call on her computer and answered it. Lovestruck, much?
I was so excited when Tuesday came, because that was the day we were going to get our van. But of course, in true, possibly karmatic fashion, things did not work out as they were supposed to...
(Part 2 coming soon)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
cutest things ever
It is no secret that it is cold here. Fall lasted all of 3 weeks and then winter hit with a vengence. While it hasn't exactly snowed, except for a few 20 minute stints of freezing rain, it is still cold. Really cold. Like 27 degrees cold. The kids aren't so much fans of the cold, nor are they fans of clothes so this poses a unique problem.
CB pretty much despises socks and tights and don't even get her started on footed pajamas. W isn't as bad, but still doesn't realize that you have to actually wear clothing to keep warm. Layering is simply out of the question for both of them and that makes my life just a little bit difficult. In theory, I could get away with running them from the house to the car and then the car to school or the store, but really, I'm not that in shape and I'm lazy and there are always people watching (and judging), so that won't work.
I needed a solution, and fast, so I enlisted the help of my cousin, who can do some crazy and amazing things with a set of knitting needles and some yarn. She is downright impressive and if I could do anything half as well as she knits, I would be a happy woman. I'm pretty sure she could knit the most beautiful sweater you have ever seen with 2 stubby pencils and some dryer lint.
Every year our family has a Christmas Eve gift exchange and for the past 2 (?) years, her knucks have been the most sought after and fought over gift on the woman's side. So I wondered, could she maybe knit a couple of sets of itty bitty knucks? Would it even be possible? And while she was at it, could she knit a couple of sets of itty bitty legwarmers? Of course it would be possible! Duuuuuuuuh! And 2 days ago a very light box appeared in my mailbox and inside was the answer to my "dressing my kids warmly and stylishly for the winter" problem: 2 pairs of knucks and 4 pairs of legwarmers.
(sorry about the bad photography. It was near bedtime and, well, this is the best it was gonna get)
Aren't these amazing?! I am so excited! Both kids have been agreeable to wear BabyLegs but they just aren't warm enough so the thicker knit legwarmers will be perfect for the rest of the incredibly long winter. And the knucks are going to be incredibly useful because mittens aren't really user friendly once they are on and gloves aren't very user friendly to put on. And as an added bonus they will work perfectly as glove liners for those days that we actually spend time outside.
So thank you to my cousin for making these for my kids. We are so thankful to be able to benefit from your skills. Excuse me, your mad skillz. You are amazing!!
CB pretty much despises socks and tights and don't even get her started on footed pajamas. W isn't as bad, but still doesn't realize that you have to actually wear clothing to keep warm. Layering is simply out of the question for both of them and that makes my life just a little bit difficult. In theory, I could get away with running them from the house to the car and then the car to school or the store, but really, I'm not that in shape and I'm lazy and there are always people watching (and judging), so that won't work.
I needed a solution, and fast, so I enlisted the help of my cousin, who can do some crazy and amazing things with a set of knitting needles and some yarn. She is downright impressive and if I could do anything half as well as she knits, I would be a happy woman. I'm pretty sure she could knit the most beautiful sweater you have ever seen with 2 stubby pencils and some dryer lint.
Every year our family has a Christmas Eve gift exchange and for the past 2 (?) years, her knucks have been the most sought after and fought over gift on the woman's side. So I wondered, could she maybe knit a couple of sets of itty bitty knucks? Would it even be possible? And while she was at it, could she knit a couple of sets of itty bitty legwarmers? Of course it would be possible! Duuuuuuuuh! And 2 days ago a very light box appeared in my mailbox and inside was the answer to my "dressing my kids warmly and stylishly for the winter" problem: 2 pairs of knucks and 4 pairs of legwarmers.
(sorry about the bad photography. It was near bedtime and, well, this is the best it was gonna get)
Aren't these amazing?! I am so excited! Both kids have been agreeable to wear BabyLegs but they just aren't warm enough so the thicker knit legwarmers will be perfect for the rest of the incredibly long winter. And the knucks are going to be incredibly useful because mittens aren't really user friendly once they are on and gloves aren't very user friendly to put on. And as an added bonus they will work perfectly as glove liners for those days that we actually spend time outside.
So thank you to my cousin for making these for my kids. We are so thankful to be able to benefit from your skills. Excuse me, your mad skillz. You are amazing!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
sup?
What's up? What's going on? What's happening? What have you been up to? These are all questions I have been horrible at answering the past 2 weeks so I will answer them all at once. Trust me though, you will be sorry you asked...
The first few days after M came home were spent trying to figure out how to live together as a family. I'll be honest, it wasn't really fun. Trying to relearn how to be a mother AND a wife and an individual is hard and confusing and can really be a big fat pain. I don't like to share. Sharing is very hard for me and to have someone else want to use the computer when I want to or eat the last of the ice cream... well, let's just say I became a better person last week because I learned how to share again. Then there were the little things like remembering the hard way that you shouldn't flush the toilet or run any water while the other is showering. And then there were the bigger things like realizing that I am much more of a creature of habit and routine than I have ever cared to admit. That was a hard one as the truth can really hurt.
Then Halloween came. As dictated by my lame traditions, we didn't do anything. And what is worse is I didn't realize that trick or treating was a big deal here in Germany. I should have known to go buy some candy after some neighborhood kids and I played a rousing game of doorbell ditch early that afternoon. Actually, they played doorbell ditch while I cussed at them, hoping they didn't understand what I was saying. The goblins and princesses came for real at around 5 and didn't stop until 10. We didn't answer the door and W was really irritated by that. Finally I told him that the kids outside wanted candy but I didn't have any to give them. W kindly offered to give them his squash. What a guy. That is one way to get out of eating it. I have to say that I am shocked we didn't get egged or worse that night. These kids were hard core! They had fireworks and everything and actually managed to scare me.
The week after Halloween was horribly busy. We ran back and forth to post half a billion times trying to get M's car up and running. That turned out to be a 4 day process but thankfully was not nearly as expensive as it could have been. Then we had reintegration classes and more errands to run. Boring boring boring. Blah blah blah. I started training sessions at the gym because I came to the conclusion that I could not stay on the elliptical forever. After not going to the gym for 4 years, I was a little embarrassed to actually go into the meathead area and try to lift weights without having proper instruction first. The first day went great, I felt good and did more with those 5 pound weights than I thought I could (not kidding about the 5 pounders). I was totally pumped for the next session, until I got dizzy and nauseous while working my core and the room started to get dark. I prayed like heck that I could make it to the bathroom before passing out so they wouldn't see me and call an ambulance. That would have been seriously embarrassing. Thankfully I didn't pass out but decided to call it a day and I am so looking forward to the butt kicking I am going to get tomorrow morning.
This past weekend ended up being a 5 day weekend for us and we have been very productive. We have had friends over for dinner 2 nights, went to IKEA and got a dining room table and some chairs, potty trained W and bought a minivan. Our new baby should be here in 2 weeks (which really means at least 3) and is a lovely 09 Town and Country with stow and go seating and a whole host of other things that no one really needs but hey, why not have. I mean, really, I can open my own trunk. Been doing it for the 10 years I've been driving, I'm pretty sure I'm ok not having the tailgate open with the touch of a button. But I'm sure once I have that fun feature, I won't be able to live without it, right? So yes, we have officially joined the minivan world. Call us lame or whatever, but it is a necessary evil. At least we are doing our part to stimulate the economy. Justification... it is all about the justification.
So that is what's up with us. Just a whole lotta blah. I feel like we are moving past the initial "holy crud we can actually be a family again" phase and into the "holy crud we are actually a family again" phase and I like it. Not just because there is someone else to change diapers and take out the trash, but because when I see the kids reading with their dad or actually have to think about which parent they are going to ask for help, it makes me smile. Life is good.
The first few days after M came home were spent trying to figure out how to live together as a family. I'll be honest, it wasn't really fun. Trying to relearn how to be a mother AND a wife and an individual is hard and confusing and can really be a big fat pain. I don't like to share. Sharing is very hard for me and to have someone else want to use the computer when I want to or eat the last of the ice cream... well, let's just say I became a better person last week because I learned how to share again. Then there were the little things like remembering the hard way that you shouldn't flush the toilet or run any water while the other is showering. And then there were the bigger things like realizing that I am much more of a creature of habit and routine than I have ever cared to admit. That was a hard one as the truth can really hurt.
Then Halloween came. As dictated by my lame traditions, we didn't do anything. And what is worse is I didn't realize that trick or treating was a big deal here in Germany. I should have known to go buy some candy after some neighborhood kids and I played a rousing game of doorbell ditch early that afternoon. Actually, they played doorbell ditch while I cussed at them, hoping they didn't understand what I was saying. The goblins and princesses came for real at around 5 and didn't stop until 10. We didn't answer the door and W was really irritated by that. Finally I told him that the kids outside wanted candy but I didn't have any to give them. W kindly offered to give them his squash. What a guy. That is one way to get out of eating it. I have to say that I am shocked we didn't get egged or worse that night. These kids were hard core! They had fireworks and everything and actually managed to scare me.
The week after Halloween was horribly busy. We ran back and forth to post half a billion times trying to get M's car up and running. That turned out to be a 4 day process but thankfully was not nearly as expensive as it could have been. Then we had reintegration classes and more errands to run. Boring boring boring. Blah blah blah. I started training sessions at the gym because I came to the conclusion that I could not stay on the elliptical forever. After not going to the gym for 4 years, I was a little embarrassed to actually go into the meathead area and try to lift weights without having proper instruction first. The first day went great, I felt good and did more with those 5 pound weights than I thought I could (not kidding about the 5 pounders). I was totally pumped for the next session, until I got dizzy and nauseous while working my core and the room started to get dark. I prayed like heck that I could make it to the bathroom before passing out so they wouldn't see me and call an ambulance. That would have been seriously embarrassing. Thankfully I didn't pass out but decided to call it a day and I am so looking forward to the butt kicking I am going to get tomorrow morning.
This past weekend ended up being a 5 day weekend for us and we have been very productive. We have had friends over for dinner 2 nights, went to IKEA and got a dining room table and some chairs, potty trained W and bought a minivan. Our new baby should be here in 2 weeks (which really means at least 3) and is a lovely 09 Town and Country with stow and go seating and a whole host of other things that no one really needs but hey, why not have. I mean, really, I can open my own trunk. Been doing it for the 10 years I've been driving, I'm pretty sure I'm ok not having the tailgate open with the touch of a button. But I'm sure once I have that fun feature, I won't be able to live without it, right? So yes, we have officially joined the minivan world. Call us lame or whatever, but it is a necessary evil. At least we are doing our part to stimulate the economy. Justification... it is all about the justification.
So that is what's up with us. Just a whole lotta blah. I feel like we are moving past the initial "holy crud we can actually be a family again" phase and into the "holy crud we are actually a family again" phase and I like it. Not just because there is someone else to change diapers and take out the trash, but because when I see the kids reading with their dad or actually have to think about which parent they are going to ask for help, it makes me smile. Life is good.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
california knows how to party?
Screw that! Germany knows how to party! Or at least this California girl knows how to party in Germany.
The Event:
The Guests: All of my neighbors and friends who I hadn't seen in 11 months, and some I had never met before.
The Menu:
The Devilish stuff:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup solid pack pumpkin (canned pumpkin)
1 cup (or an entire bag) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Cream butter, gradually add sugars. Beat until likght and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in flour, alternating with pumpkin. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake about 17 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes (square bars)
**my notes: These were GOOD. Like, almost too good and they better be good for the amount of cottage cheese they will put on your butt. I can certainly see why these got such awesome reviews. But, I could have done with about half the powdered sugar and a little more spice flavor. Next time I think I'll try that.**
Apple- Toffee Tartlets (round things on the green plate)
**my notes: I didn't use toffee. I could only find Heath bars and I didn't want to spend 20 minutes scrapping the chocolate off the bars, so I ditched the toffee and added a little more brown sugar. I made a double batch and used 2 Granny Smith apples and 2 Honey Crisp apples for a little variety. I made these the night before and refrigerated them. Before the party began my friend K pour caramel sauce over the apples and they were scrumptious! These will be made again for sure. **
Cheese Plate
- cheddar cubes
- pepper jack cubes
- fresh mozarella
- Babybel assortment
- Table Water crackers
- 7 Grain Kashi crackers
Apple Zucchini Crostini (the pieces of bread w/ the green and white stuff ontop-- on the green and white plate)
**my notes: These were good and I've never been big on goat cheese. I should have baked the bread a little longer so it wasn't as chewy, but overall I really liked these and the apple zucchini mixture tasted really good the next day.**
The lowfat stuff:
No Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
**my notes: This was just... meh. It would have tasted a lot better had I remembered to add the pumpkin pie spice. Sorry people who tried it. For me, it had too much orange flavor and not enough pumpkin flavor... but that could have something to do with the fact that I accidentially forgot about the orange juice/ gelitan for about 15 minutes...**
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
**my notes: At first glance at the recipe, you are going to say, "Why on earth is this in the 'lowfat' section??" Um, because I could only make one full fledged Paula Deen recipe in good conscious. I don't want to be responsible for my guests corinaries. So I modified this one. Instead of using the oil, I used applesauce and I replaced half the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey. I also used probably a cup more zucchini than it called for but I'm not sure because I didn't measure it all. I just used 2 medium sized zucchinis. This came out good, but was a bit too orangy for me.**
Drinks:
Hot Chocolate Bar
(Hot Chocolate recipe modified from a few different sites)
- 1 gallon of milk
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- a little vanilla
- 3/4 cup hot water
Combine cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla and water in a sauce pan and heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until the stuff looks like chocolate syrup. Then cook it a little longer, maybe a minute or 2 until it bubbles, but don't boil it. Turn your crock pot on high and pour the syrup into your crock pot and then pour the milk in. Stir to combine the milk with the syrup and let it sit until it gets hot (about 90 minutes in my crock pot).
Cut up Heath bars and Milky Way bars, crush peppermints or candy canes and place in bowls. Put out some mini marshmallows and whipped cream and let your guests go wild.
**my notes: I didn't want the chocolate to be too strong or sweet so it wouldn't be too overpowering once people added the fixings to it**
Hot Apple Cider
-2 gallons of good apple juice or apple cider
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- the zest of 1 orange
- 6 whole cloves
Pour apple juice/ cider into a stock pot. Add cinnamon sticks, orange zest and cloves. If you are lazy like me, you should put the orange zest and cloves into some cheese cloth or put it into a tea ball and tie it to the handle so you don't have to strain the cider once it is hot. Let the cider simmer until hot then remove the cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange zest. Serve with caramel sauce and whipped cream, if you want.
**my notes: I think it would have been a little better if I had added some brown sugar to it, maybe 4 or 5 tbsp. Also, be sure to remove the cinnamon sticks! OOPS! Forgot to do that and it was way too strong by the end of the night.**
Ghoul's Punch
**my notes: the frozen hands were a little too much for me, so I went just froze cranberry juice in icecube trays instead. When the juice cubes melt, it makes a really pretty autumn inspired colored drink. This was a favorite for sure and would work well for any time of year**
Food that didn't make it to the table:
Garlic Salami and Pepper Salami for the cheese plate -- Totally forgot to put it out!
Pumpkin Spiced Ginger Snap Truffles -- I found these in Better Homes and Gardens October issue and thought they sounded good and they were easy enough to make. However, I decided to taste the chocolate to make sure it was ok. I'm not really a chocolate person in the first place... I tasted a little of the chocolate, like 1/4 teaspoon, and it triggered the worst migraine I have ever had. But I had to get them rolled before the chocolate set and was useless so I powered through until I had to stop because I was almost doubled over. Most people would love to have a gooey chocolate mess in their hands but honestly, I would rather mix meatloaf with my hands than deal with chocolate. I'm weird that way. To me, this stuff was so strong that even the smell of the leftover chocolate in the bowl was enough to make me sick all over and I had to tie a cloth over face when I did the dishes. So the truffles went in the fridge and stayed there until last night, when I finally worked up the courage to throw them out. And I'm not going to lie when I say I just tossed them, container and all, into the outside trash. I didn't want to risk the smell triggering another headache. I'm getting a headache just reliving it!
If anyone wants the recipe, even after my glowing review, let me know and I will post it. I'm sure they are great, if you like chocolate and strong chocolate at that.
The sign of a good party:
The food was pretty much gone. Despite the farmers deciding to fertilize the acreage behind our house no less than 2 hours before the party started, the house spelled darn good, but was a huge mess. Crumbs and toys were everywhere; I was finding extra socks and sippy cups for the next 3 days. It was perfect and could not have been better. A clean house at the end of a party would be a bad sign! Messy means people had fun and that is exactly what I want.
I am so glad that everyone was able to come and those who couldn't make it were missed. We had a good time and I hope that we are all able to get together again soon.
PS. If your kid is missing a pair of socks, a sippy cup, a burp cloth or a book, they are here. And if you are missing a black scarf, it's on my coat rack!
The Event:
The Guests: All of my neighbors and friends who I hadn't seen in 11 months, and some I had never met before.
The Menu:
The Devilish stuff: 
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup solid pack pumpkin (canned pumpkin)
1 cup (or an entire bag) chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Cream butter, gradually add sugars. Beat until likght and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in flour, alternating with pumpkin. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake about 17 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes (square bars)
**my notes: These were GOOD. Like, almost too good and they better be good for the amount of cottage cheese they will put on your butt. I can certainly see why these got such awesome reviews. But, I could have done with about half the powdered sugar and a little more spice flavor. Next time I think I'll try that.**
Apple- Toffee Tartlets (round things on the green plate)
**my notes: I didn't use toffee. I could only find Heath bars and I didn't want to spend 20 minutes scrapping the chocolate off the bars, so I ditched the toffee and added a little more brown sugar. I made a double batch and used 2 Granny Smith apples and 2 Honey Crisp apples for a little variety. I made these the night before and refrigerated them. Before the party began my friend K pour caramel sauce over the apples and they were scrumptious! These will be made again for sure. **
Cheese Plate- cheddar cubes
- pepper jack cubes
- fresh mozarella
- Babybel assortment
- Table Water crackers
- 7 Grain Kashi crackers
Apple Zucchini Crostini (the pieces of bread w/ the green and white stuff ontop-- on the green and white plate)
**my notes: These were good and I've never been big on goat cheese. I should have baked the bread a little longer so it wasn't as chewy, but overall I really liked these and the apple zucchini mixture tasted really good the next day.**
The lowfat stuff:
No Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake**my notes: This was just... meh. It would have tasted a lot better had I remembered to add the pumpkin pie spice. Sorry people who tried it. For me, it had too much orange flavor and not enough pumpkin flavor... but that could have something to do with the fact that I accidentially forgot about the orange juice/ gelitan for about 15 minutes...**
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
**my notes: At first glance at the recipe, you are going to say, "Why on earth is this in the 'lowfat' section??" Um, because I could only make one full fledged Paula Deen recipe in good conscious. I don't want to be responsible for my guests corinaries. So I modified this one. Instead of using the oil, I used applesauce and I replaced half the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey. I also used probably a cup more zucchini than it called for but I'm not sure because I didn't measure it all. I just used 2 medium sized zucchinis. This came out good, but was a bit too orangy for me.**
Drinks:
Hot Chocolate Bar
(Hot Chocolate recipe modified from a few different sites)
- 1 gallon of milk
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- a little vanilla
- 3/4 cup hot water
Combine cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla and water in a sauce pan and heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until the stuff looks like chocolate syrup. Then cook it a little longer, maybe a minute or 2 until it bubbles, but don't boil it. Turn your crock pot on high and pour the syrup into your crock pot and then pour the milk in. Stir to combine the milk with the syrup and let it sit until it gets hot (about 90 minutes in my crock pot).
Cut up Heath bars and Milky Way bars, crush peppermints or candy canes and place in bowls. Put out some mini marshmallows and whipped cream and let your guests go wild.
**my notes: I didn't want the chocolate to be too strong or sweet so it wouldn't be too overpowering once people added the fixings to it**
Hot Apple Cider
-2 gallons of good apple juice or apple cider
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- the zest of 1 orange
- 6 whole cloves
Pour apple juice/ cider into a stock pot. Add cinnamon sticks, orange zest and cloves. If you are lazy like me, you should put the orange zest and cloves into some cheese cloth or put it into a tea ball and tie it to the handle so you don't have to strain the cider once it is hot. Let the cider simmer until hot then remove the cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange zest. Serve with caramel sauce and whipped cream, if you want.
**my notes: I think it would have been a little better if I had added some brown sugar to it, maybe 4 or 5 tbsp. Also, be sure to remove the cinnamon sticks! OOPS! Forgot to do that and it was way too strong by the end of the night.**
Ghoul's Punch
**my notes: the frozen hands were a little too much for me, so I went just froze cranberry juice in icecube trays instead. When the juice cubes melt, it makes a really pretty autumn inspired colored drink. This was a favorite for sure and would work well for any time of year**
Food that didn't make it to the table:
Garlic Salami and Pepper Salami for the cheese plate -- Totally forgot to put it out!
Pumpkin Spiced Ginger Snap Truffles -- I found these in Better Homes and Gardens October issue and thought they sounded good and they were easy enough to make. However, I decided to taste the chocolate to make sure it was ok. I'm not really a chocolate person in the first place... I tasted a little of the chocolate, like 1/4 teaspoon, and it triggered the worst migraine I have ever had. But I had to get them rolled before the chocolate set and was useless so I powered through until I had to stop because I was almost doubled over. Most people would love to have a gooey chocolate mess in their hands but honestly, I would rather mix meatloaf with my hands than deal with chocolate. I'm weird that way. To me, this stuff was so strong that even the smell of the leftover chocolate in the bowl was enough to make me sick all over and I had to tie a cloth over face when I did the dishes. So the truffles went in the fridge and stayed there until last night, when I finally worked up the courage to throw them out. And I'm not going to lie when I say I just tossed them, container and all, into the outside trash. I didn't want to risk the smell triggering another headache. I'm getting a headache just reliving it!
If anyone wants the recipe, even after my glowing review, let me know and I will post it. I'm sure they are great, if you like chocolate and strong chocolate at that.
The sign of a good party:
The food was pretty much gone. Despite the farmers deciding to fertilize the acreage behind our house no less than 2 hours before the party started, the house spelled darn good, but was a huge mess. Crumbs and toys were everywhere; I was finding extra socks and sippy cups for the next 3 days. It was perfect and could not have been better. A clean house at the end of a party would be a bad sign! Messy means people had fun and that is exactly what I want.I am so glad that everyone was able to come and those who couldn't make it were missed. We had a good time and I hope that we are all able to get together again soon.
PS. If your kid is missing a pair of socks, a sippy cup, a burp cloth or a book, they are here. And if you are missing a black scarf, it's on my coat rack!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
bittersweet
I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. We are trying to get settled here in Germany and that's a process that always takes longer than I expect or want. I can't believe we are back. Honestly, even though I knew the date was fast approaching, it didn't hit me that we were actually leaving until I locked the door to my parent's house for the last time and drove away.
I had been making fantastic progress on organizing and cleaning all of our junk in the week before we were leaving until I got sick. It started as one of those "Oh, I must have slept with my mouth open" sore throats you get in the morning and turned into a full blown raging sinus infection from hell. It was so bad that I was completely down for the count 2 days before we had to fly. I couldn't even lift my head and every time I did, I cursed the Almond (pronounced ALL-mond, thank you. NOT Am-ond) gods for making me sick. Freaking almond harvesting season. Why does it have to come every year?!
Compounding my misery was the fact that I decided to self diagnose and self medicate my sinus infection with antibiotics that I never took last time I had a sinus infection. Note to self: Biaxin is not your friend. It will hurt you and make you want to die. Feeling like you are going to throw up everything you have eaten in the past 7 weeks while having a sinus infection is almost as pleasent as having a root canal done without Novocaine. Almost.
The day before we flew I sucked it up and called to make an appointment with my doctor. I must have sounded as miserable as I felt because I was able to get an appointment 2 hours later. When I showed up the doctor was like "Wow, you look amazing" and I was like "Shut your face and be nice to me because my insurance is going to pay you $117 for you to tell me the obvious and write 2 lines on a prescription note." $117 for 5 flipping minutes. I should have been a doctor. To be fair, he did spend about a half an hour with me, mostly because we were shooting the breeze and talking about the kids and my husband. He's known both my husband and I for almost ever and he's always interested to hear how we are doing and what my current thoughts are on the political drama going on... something you should not ask me, or even think about asking me right now because I will not give you the answer you want to hear and I will talk down to you and make you feel stupid. I can't help it. It just happens.
He only made it through the conversation alive because I knew he had the drugs and I wanted them (and because he actually agreed with me on almost everything, which is a very rare thing these days). When we were done chatting he told me he was going to see if he had any samples of the meds he wanted to give me because they were the "good" ones, so good in fact that he didn't think my insurance would cover them. That right there should have been a red flag or a warning to take them with caution but it didn't catch on and ended up spending the better part of that day and the next all kinds of jacked up on Mountain Dew and a decongestant that should have simply been labeled "Methamphetamine". Good God almighty, that was some serious stuff. I wouldn't have drank the Mountain Dew if I had know that those pills were going to do the same thing to me as if I had shot up speed.
The only pleasant side effect from the pills was that I did get a lot of packing done and made up for some of the prior day that I had spent flat on my back. I didn't get everything done though. There was so much to do. So much to clean. So many people to say goodbye to. I didn't get to do it all and I feel bad for that. I forgot to pack more than I care to mention and the house is a serious serious disaster of broken toys, out grown shoes and tulle left overs. I feel bad for my mom who has to clean it all up.
The final few hours before we left were much more emotional than I expected them to be. I was, once again, uprooting my family and this time we had a lot more invested than we ever had before. W had made some really good friends and I was taking him away from them and a school that he loved. I had actually spent more time in CA this time than I have anywhere else in the past 9 years and I was leaving some solid relationships and the place where CB grew from a baby to a toddler. We were leaving the place that she learned to crawl and walk (something I didn't think she would ever do), the place where W saw his daddy for the first time in 10 months, the families that had consistently stuck by us through all of the sickness and pain through the previous 11 months and the place where I did some serious growing.
After I shut the door and drove away, and had to go back and do it again because I forgot to put my cell phone in the diaper bag, I had a good cry. I only needed 5 minutes of being sad before I could put on my game face and remember all we had to look forward to. Then the panic attack hit. Having one while driving 85 miles an hour is never a good thing. If you know me, you know that I absolutely hate to fly. Hate isn't even a strong enough word for it. To me, flying is the ultimate in giving up control and we control freaks don't give up our power very well. I only fly because I have to but if I could take a boat, I totally would. After bargaining with God for a couple of minutes I was able to calm down and then I received the sign I needed.
On the other side of the highway there was a convoy of National Guard troops heading to or from their latest training exercise. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is too me. That is my sign that everything is going to be ok. For the past 4 or 5 times that I've had a freak out session, I have seen a convoy of military vehicles within minutes and it's not like they should be traveling around me, as I'm never near a military installation when they drive by. But for some reason, they are always there. Maybe they are my angels. I don't know, I don't care. I just know that when they are around, it's all going to be ok.
And it is all ok. We are home and we are safe, despite the sheer torture of descending from 35,000 feet with a sinus infection. If you ever want to know what it feels like to have your eyeball pulled through your nose, that will give you a good indication. And my kids are healthy, except for the teething, and thriving better than I ever imagined they could.
Walking into this house was like walking into a time capsule of one of the most challenging times in my life. We left Germany at the height of CB's medical mystery that made her scream 20 hours a day and everything was just as it was when we shut the door that last time. It's been so nice to put those reminders away for good. To pack up all of the burp rags and baby gear and to hide the baby toys is just confirmation of how far we have come and what is going to happen next and believe me, I can't wait for what is going to happen next.
I had been making fantastic progress on organizing and cleaning all of our junk in the week before we were leaving until I got sick. It started as one of those "Oh, I must have slept with my mouth open" sore throats you get in the morning and turned into a full blown raging sinus infection from hell. It was so bad that I was completely down for the count 2 days before we had to fly. I couldn't even lift my head and every time I did, I cursed the Almond (pronounced ALL-mond, thank you. NOT Am-ond) gods for making me sick. Freaking almond harvesting season. Why does it have to come every year?!
Compounding my misery was the fact that I decided to self diagnose and self medicate my sinus infection with antibiotics that I never took last time I had a sinus infection. Note to self: Biaxin is not your friend. It will hurt you and make you want to die. Feeling like you are going to throw up everything you have eaten in the past 7 weeks while having a sinus infection is almost as pleasent as having a root canal done without Novocaine. Almost.
The day before we flew I sucked it up and called to make an appointment with my doctor. I must have sounded as miserable as I felt because I was able to get an appointment 2 hours later. When I showed up the doctor was like "Wow, you look amazing" and I was like "Shut your face and be nice to me because my insurance is going to pay you $117 for you to tell me the obvious and write 2 lines on a prescription note." $117 for 5 flipping minutes. I should have been a doctor. To be fair, he did spend about a half an hour with me, mostly because we were shooting the breeze and talking about the kids and my husband. He's known both my husband and I for almost ever and he's always interested to hear how we are doing and what my current thoughts are on the political drama going on... something you should not ask me, or even think about asking me right now because I will not give you the answer you want to hear and I will talk down to you and make you feel stupid. I can't help it. It just happens.
He only made it through the conversation alive because I knew he had the drugs and I wanted them (and because he actually agreed with me on almost everything, which is a very rare thing these days). When we were done chatting he told me he was going to see if he had any samples of the meds he wanted to give me because they were the "good" ones, so good in fact that he didn't think my insurance would cover them. That right there should have been a red flag or a warning to take them with caution but it didn't catch on and ended up spending the better part of that day and the next all kinds of jacked up on Mountain Dew and a decongestant that should have simply been labeled "Methamphetamine". Good God almighty, that was some serious stuff. I wouldn't have drank the Mountain Dew if I had know that those pills were going to do the same thing to me as if I had shot up speed.
The only pleasant side effect from the pills was that I did get a lot of packing done and made up for some of the prior day that I had spent flat on my back. I didn't get everything done though. There was so much to do. So much to clean. So many people to say goodbye to. I didn't get to do it all and I feel bad for that. I forgot to pack more than I care to mention and the house is a serious serious disaster of broken toys, out grown shoes and tulle left overs. I feel bad for my mom who has to clean it all up.
The final few hours before we left were much more emotional than I expected them to be. I was, once again, uprooting my family and this time we had a lot more invested than we ever had before. W had made some really good friends and I was taking him away from them and a school that he loved. I had actually spent more time in CA this time than I have anywhere else in the past 9 years and I was leaving some solid relationships and the place where CB grew from a baby to a toddler. We were leaving the place that she learned to crawl and walk (something I didn't think she would ever do), the place where W saw his daddy for the first time in 10 months, the families that had consistently stuck by us through all of the sickness and pain through the previous 11 months and the place where I did some serious growing.
After I shut the door and drove away, and had to go back and do it again because I forgot to put my cell phone in the diaper bag, I had a good cry. I only needed 5 minutes of being sad before I could put on my game face and remember all we had to look forward to. Then the panic attack hit. Having one while driving 85 miles an hour is never a good thing. If you know me, you know that I absolutely hate to fly. Hate isn't even a strong enough word for it. To me, flying is the ultimate in giving up control and we control freaks don't give up our power very well. I only fly because I have to but if I could take a boat, I totally would. After bargaining with God for a couple of minutes I was able to calm down and then I received the sign I needed.
On the other side of the highway there was a convoy of National Guard troops heading to or from their latest training exercise. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is too me. That is my sign that everything is going to be ok. For the past 4 or 5 times that I've had a freak out session, I have seen a convoy of military vehicles within minutes and it's not like they should be traveling around me, as I'm never near a military installation when they drive by. But for some reason, they are always there. Maybe they are my angels. I don't know, I don't care. I just know that when they are around, it's all going to be ok.
And it is all ok. We are home and we are safe, despite the sheer torture of descending from 35,000 feet with a sinus infection. If you ever want to know what it feels like to have your eyeball pulled through your nose, that will give you a good indication. And my kids are healthy, except for the teething, and thriving better than I ever imagined they could.
Walking into this house was like walking into a time capsule of one of the most challenging times in my life. We left Germany at the height of CB's medical mystery that made her scream 20 hours a day and everything was just as it was when we shut the door that last time. It's been so nice to put those reminders away for good. To pack up all of the burp rags and baby gear and to hide the baby toys is just confirmation of how far we have come and what is going to happen next and believe me, I can't wait for what is going to happen next.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
fyi
We made it back to Germany! The trip was pretty uneventful, except for the part where my sinuses almost exploded when we were landing. Let's talk about what a party that was. I knew I should have had a bloody mary with breakfast. My head is still killing me so I will save the stories for when I have successfully weaned myself from the decongestants and can think clearer.
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and prayers for safe travel! They worked!
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and prayers for safe travel! They worked!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
things i didn't miss about the states
Tract Homes. Infomercials. Drivers driving while talking on their cell phones. Drivers driving while putting on makeup. People smacking their kids in public. People screaming at their kids in public."Lawyers" who advertise on TV. Lifetime Television. KFC. Annoying radio advertisement jingles. The obsession with beverages bottled in plastic. Speed limits. People who want you to hear the conversation they are having with other people (or maybe people in Germany do this too, but I could never understand them so I never noticed??) Shopping mall parking lots. Over sized SUVs taking up the entire road when there is only one person in the darn thing that seats 8. Stop signs EVERYWHERE! The Germans do it right with the yield signs. Added one more: People who return stuff to Babies R Us that they have CLEARLY used for a long time and expect Babies R Us to resell it and people to actually buy their drool infested, booger ridden stuff because they figure "We only used it for 3 months, I want my money back!" NASTY!
Monday, September 17, 2007
currently loving (09-17-07)
My friend J was visiting us for the past week and we went out into our itty bitty teeny tiny village to explore what it has to offer. I've gone into town numerous times, but have never really paid attention to the surroundings, as I'm always trying to deter a fit or catch a pacifier or sippy cup before it hits the dirt. Instead of just running to the market for a forgotten ingredient, we actually sat down in a little cafe and enjoyed some European ice cream and a cappuccino like real Europeans do. It was nice and I realized how much I do really like it here, even though there isn't a Target or Taco Bell or a mall. I should have done this 8 months ago...
PS, thanks J for taking these pictures! :)
PS, thanks J for taking these pictures! :)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
curses
Curses go out to all the people who discouraged me from taking German classes when I was in high school and college. They all said, "Don't take German, you will never use it. Take something you will use every day, like Spanish."
HA! Look where 2 years of high school and 2 years of college Spanish got me. Spanish doesn't help me when I want to buy sweet potatoes but don't see them in the store and want to ask for them. Spanish doesn't help me when I have to listen to the telemarketers and try to tell them I don't know the answers to their questions. And Spanish REALLY doesn't help me now when I can't figure out what kind of gas to put in my car and how to pay for it.
What I wouldn't give to already know how to count in German or say and understand the basics because I'm way too busy and distracted to learn them now.
HA! Look where 2 years of high school and 2 years of college Spanish got me. Spanish doesn't help me when I want to buy sweet potatoes but don't see them in the store and want to ask for them. Spanish doesn't help me when I have to listen to the telemarketers and try to tell them I don't know the answers to their questions. And Spanish REALLY doesn't help me now when I can't figure out what kind of gas to put in my car and how to pay for it.
What I wouldn't give to already know how to count in German or say and understand the basics because I'm way too busy and distracted to learn them now.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
some things are universal
Today we went to the Frankfurt Airport to drop my husband off for his trip home. That airport is huge and I have to say, even worse than O Hare, especially since they are doing construction. There are people EVERYWHERE and being the peak of the summer tourist season only makes it CrAzY insane.
After we said our disgustingly sappy goodbyes, I had to feed the baby so I searched far and wide for a bench or a chair to sit on. I finally found one about 32 miles from my car but it was next to a family that had 2 pre-teen sons. I wasn't sure how they would feel about boobs (I'm sure the boys didn't care) but I had to feed her, so I sat down anyway. They boys were playing Game Boy and tripping each other and giving each other wet willies and flicking boogers at each other. It was great fun to watch... only because my children have a long way to go till they reach that stage, thank goodness. It was also interesting to see this because they didn't speak any English, or any language I had ever been exposed to, for that matter. And here I was thinking that only bratty American kids engaged in that kind of behavior.
At one point, the younger of the two was being really loud and the mom shushed him and told him the baby next to him was sleeping. How I understood that, I'm not sure, but it was clear as day. I smiled and told her it was ok and she told me that he was too loud anyway. She still wasn't speaking English and I certainly wasn't speaking her language, but we understood each other.
Then a snotty woman walked by with her fake Louis Vuitton luggage, or as my friend T would say, Lewi Baton luggage, and she was walking her little wiener dog on a pink rhinestone leash. The younger of the two boys started cracking up and yelling, "Mom!! A sausage dog! A sausage dog!" The snotty woman got offended and gave us a dirty look, which made all of us laugh amongst ourselves.
It was just funny that none of us spoke the same language, but we all understood what was going on and it was refreshing to know that some things are just universal. It makes me realize that the world really isn't so big.
After we said our disgustingly sappy goodbyes, I had to feed the baby so I searched far and wide for a bench or a chair to sit on. I finally found one about 32 miles from my car but it was next to a family that had 2 pre-teen sons. I wasn't sure how they would feel about boobs (I'm sure the boys didn't care) but I had to feed her, so I sat down anyway. They boys were playing Game Boy and tripping each other and giving each other wet willies and flicking boogers at each other. It was great fun to watch... only because my children have a long way to go till they reach that stage, thank goodness. It was also interesting to see this because they didn't speak any English, or any language I had ever been exposed to, for that matter. And here I was thinking that only bratty American kids engaged in that kind of behavior.
At one point, the younger of the two was being really loud and the mom shushed him and told him the baby next to him was sleeping. How I understood that, I'm not sure, but it was clear as day. I smiled and told her it was ok and she told me that he was too loud anyway. She still wasn't speaking English and I certainly wasn't speaking her language, but we understood each other.
Then a snotty woman walked by with her fake Louis Vuitton luggage, or as my friend T would say, Lewi Baton luggage, and she was walking her little wiener dog on a pink rhinestone leash. The younger of the two boys started cracking up and yelling, "Mom!! A sausage dog! A sausage dog!" The snotty woman got offended and gave us a dirty look, which made all of us laugh amongst ourselves.
It was just funny that none of us spoke the same language, but we all understood what was going on and it was refreshing to know that some things are just universal. It makes me realize that the world really isn't so big.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
4th of july, german style
Normally, the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. There's something so nostalgic about it. Something so comforting about grilling burgers and eating cobbler, followed by setting off massive colorful explosions in the driveway.
But this 4th of July is different. I'm wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt and even (gasp!) socks! I've never worn socks on the 4th of July! I've never even worn pants on the 4th of July. Normally I'm wearing flip flops and a swimsuit and cover up. But not this year... this year it's a whopping 58 degrees and pouring down rain.
We did grill, though. My poor husband was out there flipping the steaks while dodging lightning bolts and raindrops that were falling so hard, I thought the noise was coming from our computer speakers. I should have just made beef stew with the steaks, instead.
There won't be any fireworks here tonight. Mainly because it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and by then, us losers are fast asleep. And also because no matter how hard I try, I can't get a wet fuse to light, without illegal amounts of lighter fluid. I don't feel like going to jail.
So here, it's just another day. I hope all of you have fun for us! Keep in mind what the day really means and stay safe. If you think of it, light some fireworks for us and have a shot of something good in our name.
But this 4th of July is different. I'm wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt and even (gasp!) socks! I've never worn socks on the 4th of July! I've never even worn pants on the 4th of July. Normally I'm wearing flip flops and a swimsuit and cover up. But not this year... this year it's a whopping 58 degrees and pouring down rain.
We did grill, though. My poor husband was out there flipping the steaks while dodging lightning bolts and raindrops that were falling so hard, I thought the noise was coming from our computer speakers. I should have just made beef stew with the steaks, instead.
There won't be any fireworks here tonight. Mainly because it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and by then, us losers are fast asleep. And also because no matter how hard I try, I can't get a wet fuse to light, without illegal amounts of lighter fluid. I don't feel like going to jail.
So here, it's just another day. I hope all of you have fun for us! Keep in mind what the day really means and stay safe. If you think of it, light some fireworks for us and have a shot of something good in our name.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
i did it
I finally drove on the autobahn! And I did it all by myself and I only wanted to flip off 2 people! I'm not sure that flipping people off here translates like it does in the States, though. I don't know why I was so scared. I mean, I've driven much faster than I drove today when I lived in California. Plus, the drivers here are much smarter and calmer than CA drivers... for the most part.
I had to go to IKEA (again) to pick a few things up that I just had to have so I packed up the babies and we went. If you go on a weekday, you get to park close to the store instead of having to park halfway to home like if you go on the weekends. So I decided it was better to go on a weekday when I didn't have to arm wrestle 3 other mothers to use the chair in the baby room instead of waiting until Saturday to have my husband drive us. This saved us an argument, too... well, until I inform him that he will be hanging more pictures this weekend.
I'm discovering that IKEA is a national pastime here. Friends were meeting at the entrance to go have their morning coffee and pastries at the cafe. Couples were carting their babies while carefully deciding which color curtain was exactly right for their room. The elderly were congregating outside to say goodbye to each other and to make plans to meet again the same time next week. Children were eagerly awaiting their turn to go into the children's center. Really, IKEA makes the world go round. It's consumerism at it's finest. That place gives you a high and just makes you happy. Maybe it's the fact that you can fill your cart until it's overflowing and still spend less than 200 Euro? Maybe it's the fact that there are so many things to choose from? I don't know. I just have to figure out how people here get their purchases home. Their cars are the size of the tires on most SUVs in the States. I'm assuming home delivery is a big business here.
I had to go to IKEA (again) to pick a few things up that I just had to have so I packed up the babies and we went. If you go on a weekday, you get to park close to the store instead of having to park halfway to home like if you go on the weekends. So I decided it was better to go on a weekday when I didn't have to arm wrestle 3 other mothers to use the chair in the baby room instead of waiting until Saturday to have my husband drive us. This saved us an argument, too... well, until I inform him that he will be hanging more pictures this weekend.
I'm discovering that IKEA is a national pastime here. Friends were meeting at the entrance to go have their morning coffee and pastries at the cafe. Couples were carting their babies while carefully deciding which color curtain was exactly right for their room. The elderly were congregating outside to say goodbye to each other and to make plans to meet again the same time next week. Children were eagerly awaiting their turn to go into the children's center. Really, IKEA makes the world go round. It's consumerism at it's finest. That place gives you a high and just makes you happy. Maybe it's the fact that you can fill your cart until it's overflowing and still spend less than 200 Euro? Maybe it's the fact that there are so many things to choose from? I don't know. I just have to figure out how people here get their purchases home. Their cars are the size of the tires on most SUVs in the States. I'm assuming home delivery is a big business here.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
finally
People have been telling me for months that I need to have a blog. A real blog. About my life and not about my babies. Although, lets be honest, how could I not talk about them non stop?? So, I've bitten the bullet and decided to start one. I'm not sure how many people will actually find it interesting as my life mainly consists of diaper duty, breast feeding and cleaning. Occasionally I get to go outside of my home to explore the great unknown that is Germany. But that is really quite rare. Maybe 1 or 2 times a week. And even then it's not like I'm exploring new ground. In the 7 months I have been here, I've only driven to 5 places. Well, I've been out more than 5 times, but I've only gone to those 5 places. Having 2 kids under the age of 2 just doesn't allow for much spontaneity.
So here's a little bit about me: I've been married to my husband for almost 3 years. We have 2 kids, W, who's currently 21 months and CB, who's currently 4 months. Yes, both of them were planned and we wanted them close together, so stop asking. Some tell me that by having children now, I have thrown my life away because my life before marriage and babies was so promising. I tell them to shut it.
Before I was married to the Army and had babies, I was a full time student and got my degree in Politics and Government and my almost degree in Psychology. I hated my college career. I will never go back. It sucks when you are smarter than most of the professors. After I got my degree and almost degree, I moved to Washington DC to work in the House of Representatives. That is what was so promising about my life. But I quickly found that I didn't want that life. Working 12-14 hours a day wasn't my thing. I'm too lazy for that. So instead, I put that life on hold until I could better handle the stresses and challenges. Not that being a full time mom is any easier!
Honestly, my life is full of stress. My husband is constantly gone and I am often left to take the role of mom, house cleaner, cook, and nanny alone. In the past 4 years, this is the longest I have lived in any one place. I don't speak German, nor do I read it, and I'm scared to death to drive on the autobahn. That makes life a bit difficult here. My life has been filled with drama galore, pain, heartache, laughter, tears, anger, pure rage, and unbearable, painful, and unconditional love.
One thing I have learned in the past few years is that if you don't have any expectations, you can't be disappointed when everything goes to hell. And, if something goes well, then you are pleasantly and happily surprised. That is why I have named this blog "No Expectations". It's become my coping mechanism and my life's motto.
So here's a little bit about me: I've been married to my husband for almost 3 years. We have 2 kids, W, who's currently 21 months and CB, who's currently 4 months. Yes, both of them were planned and we wanted them close together, so stop asking. Some tell me that by having children now, I have thrown my life away because my life before marriage and babies was so promising. I tell them to shut it.
Before I was married to the Army and had babies, I was a full time student and got my degree in Politics and Government and my almost degree in Psychology. I hated my college career. I will never go back. It sucks when you are smarter than most of the professors. After I got my degree and almost degree, I moved to Washington DC to work in the House of Representatives. That is what was so promising about my life. But I quickly found that I didn't want that life. Working 12-14 hours a day wasn't my thing. I'm too lazy for that. So instead, I put that life on hold until I could better handle the stresses and challenges. Not that being a full time mom is any easier!
Honestly, my life is full of stress. My husband is constantly gone and I am often left to take the role of mom, house cleaner, cook, and nanny alone. In the past 4 years, this is the longest I have lived in any one place. I don't speak German, nor do I read it, and I'm scared to death to drive on the autobahn. That makes life a bit difficult here. My life has been filled with drama galore, pain, heartache, laughter, tears, anger, pure rage, and unbearable, painful, and unconditional love.
One thing I have learned in the past few years is that if you don't have any expectations, you can't be disappointed when everything goes to hell. And, if something goes well, then you are pleasantly and happily surprised. That is why I have named this blog "No Expectations". It's become my coping mechanism and my life's motto.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)