Back and Happy

I'm home and I must say I am happy and tickled pink. Santa made a special stop for the kids since we were elsewhere for Christmas. Everyone is still asleep and the house is nice and quiet.

I can't wait to see the munchkin's face when she wakes up.

Here are a few pics from my camera from our vacation. Next up will be pictures that my father took.

Here we are on our way back from touring Neuschwanstein castle.


Here is B posing with Granparents Johnson.


B get's a hug from Grandpa Johnson in front of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin.


I couldn't resist taking a picture in front of a slab of the Berlin wall. Not only is it a piece of history but a piece of art in of itself.



And here is B looking at a river in Strasbourg france.

Happy Holidays!

B and I are celebrating Christmas with my dad and his wife...in Vegas! It has been a day of lounging around. Ends up B is getting a cold.

We head back to Portland tomorrow and we are more than ready to go home. I just hope the weather cooperates.

Last night in Germany

This will be our last night in Germany and I am very happy to be headed home. This has been a wonderful trip in many ways. We were able to see family we haven't seen in awhile, and we got to experience a whole new part of the world. Traveling while sick is hard. Traveling with a five year old is hard. Add those two together (along with jet lag that won't go away) makes for a very grumpy me. I wish I could just "get over it" as C would say, but I nearly fell asleep in my salad during dinner. How can one be bubbly and bright with dressing on their forehead?

So keep all this in mind while I recount our adventures.

We took an overnight trip to Berlin. It took a long 8 hours to get there. Our hotel room had a bunk bed and not much else. It took us a few minutes to find the restroom which we originally thought was a closet. And what we thought was the toilet was actually a shower. That night grandma watched the tot as the rest of us walked down to the Brandenburg Gate. It was all inspiring.

The next day we had breakfast and walked the whole family down to the gate, passing by the Holocaust Memorial. B couldn't get enough of running up and down the stone pillars. Then the grandparents suggested something ingenious...taking a bus tour of the city! So for 15 Euro a piece we sat in a warm Double Decker for two hours hitting all the major spots. This included the Victory Column, the Parliament building, the Emperor William Memorial Church, the Berlin Wall memorial and check point charlie. We got some great shots, got a feel of Berlin and did it all without taxing ourselves too much.

The drive back was much shorter (5.5 hrs). Exhaustion won, we went straight to bed.

Today we drove to Strasbourg France and walked all along the city center. We saw a huge Gothic style church and shopped the Christmas market. The squares were packed full of people and if it wasn't for our guides (the grandparents), would have easily gotten lost.

We've checked our flight (make sure it wasn't cancelled or anything) and packed our bags. I'm ready for bed and ready to go back to the states. B and I will be spending two days in Vegas before heading back to Portland. I've been watching the weather updates on CNN. Can't believe the amount of snow and ice! Kind of happy we'll be in Vegas for a bit. I hope the airports are up and running by the end of the week!

Heading to the country

Yesterday morning we left and traveled south west. The weather turned from cold and rainy to cold and snowy within hours. Whenever I think of Germany in the winter, this was how I envisioned it; rolling hills bathed in white.

Our first stop was Neuschwanstein castle. Getting to the castle is journey in itself. We took a carriage ride to the near top then had to truck it about 1/4 of a mile up a steep incline to where the entrance was. Boy was this castle HUGE! Once at the top we had to wait for our tour to begin. It was cold but the people watching was choice. There were folks here from all over the world.

Once inside you climbed many many steps. That was the theme of this castle i think. Many Steps! My lungs were about to explode. But we were able to see an opulent throne room, amazing wood craftsmanship in his bedroom, a very strange grotto room and wonderful murals painted everywhere.

If you were to ask B what her favorite part of the trip was she would say it was the snow fight that was had once we were back at the car. I think it was when my dad and her joined forces to use me as a target that it really started to get fun! Afterwards we drove to a little ski town called Oberau.

We stayed in a quaint Germany hotel. Our room was large but very cold. Everything was tile or stone, but Blake and I were content once settled under our down comforters watching German TV. The next day we set out early after a traditional breakfast of bread, meat and cheese. We stayed around Fussen for a bit looking at old churches and going through little villages. My dad was able to get some killer shots and B got her fill of snow.

Now I am about to pack for another trip. This time we are headed north east to Berlin. From the Bavarian countryside to the countries largest city we venture!

Bronchitis hits!

It's almost 4am and both B and I are wide awake. We awoke at the same time wide eyed and bushy tailed. We read some. Tried to go back to sleep but neither of us succeeding. So we resolved to give into our situation.

Yesterday's plans were put on hold when the doctor came to visit, took one look at me and ordered me to stay warm, drink lots of hot tea and take antibiotics. Our hope is to catch it before it becomes pneumonia. Luckily for me, grandma Johnson had a bout of Bronchitis a few months ago and had in stock some wonderful medicated cough syrup and has a respiratory thingy that makes me all jittery but able to breath like a normal person.

So no Christmas Villages for us. But B did go shopping with grandma for two things and came back with quite a bit more. The Opa's went off exploring for a long while and I got in some great knitting time. So the day wasn't wasted. I do feel like a dud though and keep kicking myself. If only I had done something about this cough before I left....

In 4 hours we will be headed on our way to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. It'll be a four hour car ride, but we plan on staying overnight in the area and doing as much as we can. I'm excited to get out and see some of the countryside. There was even talk about making a quick stop to France on our way home...LOL. Not a bakery or restuarant, but a different country! I can't get use to the idea that everything is so much more compact here in Europe. The roads are small, the cars are small, the trash cans are small (they are wicked recyclers here!) and other countries could be within driving distance!

Life in a German village makes me smile with happiness. I've met two sets of neighbors and they have both been gracious and very friendly. I can see why this is the second German tour for the Johnson's. I am blown away that my daughter gets to experience this...even though she did say the sky looks like Portland sky.

"We have icky clouds too" she said...

Comedy of Errors. And other things to laugh at.

I'll have to admit, I am one of those people who can put unbelievably high expectations on future events. Playing them out in my mind like a lifetime original movie. I always have great hair and the background music is always Oscar worthy.

Well...I believe I have attracted all the possible bad travel juju for years to come because of these expectations. In getting to Germany we have succeeded in the following: Missed two flights, lost a cell phone, lost two video game cartridges (sorry c, will replace!), I fell on some stairs and landed on my back, B had an potty accident and it looks like my little cough that I left Portland with is becoming an infection of some sort.



But here are the good things. The luggage that was on the flight to Germany that we missed was waiting for us when we got here. The counter guy at the Frankfurt airport was very nice. The Johnson's received my last minute email with the new flight information so they were there to pick us up. Good thing since we forgot to get their contact information! Yikes!!

The Johnson's live in Rauenberg Village. It's small, quaint and exactly what I envisioned. And the best thing ever is their next door neighbor is a respiratory doctor who makes house calls!

For our first dinner out we had Turkish food at Can Kebap Haus Bistro and Cafe. It was delicious. Even B enjoyed her food! We tried to eat at two other traditional German restaurants but they both had private parties.

Everyone slept well but me. This darn cough is getting the better of me. I hope after the doc see's me today I can get some medicine to nip this in the bud. Today we are planning on going to a christmas village. It should be fun. Until then....

Getting ready

It's hard to believe that this time tomorrow Blake and I will be landing in Vegas. And another 24 hours after that we'll be in Germany.

Today is all about laundry, cleaning, packing and getting as many snuggles with my boys as possible before we go. Of course, this would be easier if I wasn't hacking up a lung every 5 minutes and whenever I get 2 feet of the boys they run away screaming "Typhoid Mary! RUN!!"

Note to self: get some rest and take lots of vitamin C.

I'll try to blog as much as I can. If that means I have to tackle some unsuspecting German to get on his laptop...so be it!

sicky pants

This has been the week of sick.

It all started Tuesday morning when B complained her neck hurt. I didn't think anything of it since her forehead felt normal. Later that day I received a phone call from her daycare provider saying, "Her temp is over 100 degrees and she's complaining that her neck hurts".

Now I would like to think of myself as a level headed mom. But when I got off the phone I immediately called the doctors office as I Googled symptoms of Spinal Meningitis. I thought back to the stories her father would tell me about his bought as a kid and I immediately went into freak out mode.

But after talking with the nurse I started to settle. I gave her medicine and that night the fever broke. The neck pain turned into a soar throat and my freak became a little less intense.

By Thursday we were back to our normal routine. But once again I received a phone call from her daycare provider saying, "I think she has pink eye." Poor thing. Her right eye was irritated and there were goobers in her tear ducts. So friday I took her to the doctors and it was confirmed that she had Pink Eye AND an ear infection. After many loads of laundry, washing of hands, disinfecting door handles and little B taking antibotics, life is starting to settle.

The whole family worked together to get a truck load to the leaf recycling drop off. It was awesome to see the kids work hard and have fun at the same time. Much better then being glued to the TV on Saturday morning like they usually are! We then bought a Christmas tree from the Optimist Club and made the house all glittery and shiny.


Both kids had birthday parties to attend to this weekend and although B was on antibiotics we only stayed for cake and presents. She was a little upset that she couldn't stay and play but I felt like a heel for taking her in the first place. The doc gave the thumbs up to go, but the thought of parental judgments made me sweat the entire time we were there.

She is doing much better today and her eye looks great. But the week of sick has exhausted all of us. She's currently chilling on the couch watching the Wiggles Christmas special on tape.


But like I've been saying to myself all week...better now then when we're in Germany!!

Oregon Zoo & Food

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful thanks to C who decided to cook! Yup that's right. We had fresh baked bread, turkey, pirogi's, stuffing and much much more! I didn't have to do much but knit. Not too shabby!

Friday I took the kids to see Bolt (cute movie by the way), but by Sunday I was ready to break down the walls just to escape. I love our house but it is small. Much smaller then our last house and it's hard to find a quiet space. So by Sunday I was ready to get out. So I grabbed B and we headed to the Oregon Zoo.

Blake had some personal moments with a squirrel. She tried really hard to talk him out of his nuts. But it was obvious who was the nutty one!


Then she couldn't stop saying Egret. "Eeeegret". "Egreeeet". It was cute.


Then we hung out at my favorite exhibit.


If only I had remembered to bring my needles!


I really wanted to take him home with me...

It was surprisingly warm and it didn't rain. The zoo was quiet for a Sunday and both B and I were exhausted when we got home. That's the sign of a good visit!