Getting ready to go home for Christmas

Friday was my final day of work at NAF. I'm still waffling between exhilaration and hesitation. I don't have much time to dwell on not having a job though because we leave on Wednesday to head home to Alaska. I was very ready to be done with the job though. I didn't feel like I had alot to give in the last couple of months and I don't like giving less than 100% at work. It was just time to be done there.

Today my goal is to get the house squeaky clean, so tomorrow we can focus on packing. Yesterday afternoon we took Papa kitty out to Laura's to see if he and her cat, Jasper, would get along. We stayed for a couple of hours to see how it went. Jasper was very nervous and wouldn't take his eyes off of Papa. Papa on the other hand got as close to the back of his cage as he could and closed his eyes. I hate putting him through the stress of being at another home, but I think if we don't we'll come home to a real mess. We finally took Papa out of the cage, but he found a hiding place behind a desk. By the time we left their house Jasper wasn't paying much attention to the other cat in his house, so we felt it would probably go pretty good. We're still here until tomorrow so if things don't go well Laura will let us know. They will keep him there for the duration of our trip. Of course, I'm also hoping that Laura's boyfriend will change his mind about adopting Papa permanently.

Today I'm thoroughly enjoying cleaning my house. It's needed it for awhile. Plants all need watered, things need dusted. It just needs a good overall cleaning. While we're gone the neighbors will be coming in every day to check on Gabby and make sure every thing's alright. I know she's going to be lonely, but all I can do it make sure she's taken care of while we're gone. She was so happy last night without Papa here. At first I thought I was just reading more into her playfulness, but Sam felt the same way. She hasn't played much since Papa's been here. She's been so concerned with watching him and being on guard. Last night she was just silly. Running everywhere and hiding from us. It was nice to see her being playful again.

This afternoon we have our appointment at the doctors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the baby is turned the right way. I hope we have a firm confirmation on what sex the baby is. If not, I would be a little concerned to go either way for fear it might turn out to be wrong. I'm 19 weeks 2 days so we certainly should be able to know if Baby cooperates. It would just be nice to know if we need to buy pink or blue.


The end of last week it snowed quite a bit here in Stuttgart. We got about 4 1/2 inches accumulation. It's absolutely beautiful. The snow is still hanging on all the trees, so every thing's covered in white. It's perfect Christmas weather. I love it!

Well, I better get back to cleaning my house. Lots to do and not enough time. Until next time...

Sam's parents stay in Germany

I'm long overdue in posting a blog about the time Sam's parent spent here. They were here for a month back in September/October and we really enjoyed having them around. It would have been nice to have some time off while they were here and I wish I would have felt better in general, but it just so happened they came at the time I was switching jobs and during the first trimester of this pregnancy. More often than not, at that point, I just didn't feel well. I'm really thankful they were understanding of my situation because most days I came home from work and went straight to bed. I don't believe I cooked one meal while they were here and I wasn't very good company even when I did feel well enough to be with everyone. I could beat myself up about it, but that's life and there's no way we could have known I would be dealing with all day morning sickness during their visit. I appreciate them and feel blessed to have such great in-laws.

Since Sam's mom is from Germany and they lived here for quite a few years when Sam was young they had plenty to do on their own. They did quite a bit of travelling to see friends and family. When they were in the Stuttgart area, Sam tried to get time off to be with them. One weekend they went to Garmisch. I absolutely love that area and wanted to go, but it was the weekend prior to my starting back at NAF and I couldn't be gone until Tuesday, besides I felt so bad that I probably would have spent the majority of the time in the hotel room anyhow. How much fun would that have been??

When they returned from Garmisch and we were looking at the pictures I commented on how beautiful the weather was. We've been there several times now and while beautiful, it's always very cloudy and you never see the full view of the mountains. This time it was perfectly clear and gorgeous. My sweet husband said he didn't want to rub it in so he hadn't mentioned how great the weather had been. Sam and I had a reservation to go there over Thanksgiving, but since I was just returning from Grandpa's funeral that day we decided to cancel for now and go down at some other time. It's probably my favorite place to visit in Germany and I never tire of going there.

Sam and his parents in Garmisch

Mom and Dad Thompson in front of the Edelweiss (Army Lodging)

Sam's parents with the beautiful view they saw out the window of their room

Ready for their bike trip

Sam

Mom and Dad Thompson walking through the gulch in Garmisch

Sam in the gulch

They did a few things around the Stuttgart area. I stayed home quite a bit of the time, but I did get out a few times.

Sam's parents at Burg Hohen Zollern in Tubingen

Walking through the castle

Sam's Mom celebrated her birthday while here. Higgins had already gone back to Virginia, but Sam and I took her out for dinner at Pfefferburg here in our town.

Sam's mom spent some time in Bad Kreutznach during her last week here. They lived there when Sam was young and two of her brothers still live in the area. One evening Sam and I drove up to meet them. It was the first time for me meeting her brothers. I was feeling really bad that day, so I was going to stay home. At the last minute, I called Sam as he was getting ready to pull out of the driveway and told him I wanted to come. I didn't feel well, but I'm glad I was able to meet some more of Sam's family.

At the restaurant with Sam's uncles, cousins, aunt and a friend of his Mom's

This is a somewhat abbreviated account of their visit, but much of their time here was a blur to me due to not feeling well. I didn't go many places with them. Hopefully the next time they come for a visit I'll be able to be a better hostess.

A quick update

I'm still sick and stayed home again today and may again tomorrow. We went to the doctor this afternoon hoping to leave knowing whether we were having a little boy or girl, but Baby had other plans. All we could see was the backside, as he/she was facing my spine. We have a really nice doctor who set another appointment for the 15th to return and see if we can determine the sex at that time. I sure hope we're able to see something at that point because it would be nice to know before going home. Other than that everything looked good. Baby's still moving alot and is measuring right on target for 17 weeks 6 days. I'm thankful it looks like we have a very healthy baby on the way. That's it for now. I'm heading back to the couch with my tissues, cough drops and water.

Grandpa Hosier's funeral

It's been a busy time around here. In my last post I mentioned that my Grandpa Hosier was not doing well. He passed away on Tuesday, 18 November, at the age of 96. While I wasn't thrilled about a trip to the states just 3 weeks before we go to Alaska, it was important to me that I be there for the funeral. I left here on Thursday and got into Pittsburgh that evening. Mom and Dad had arrived the day before so they picked me up at the airport. It was so nice to see them again and be back in the states. Overall, I really enjoyed our week there. Knowing Grandpa had lived a good, long life and was ready to go made it so much easier, even though death is never a happy occasion.

After spending that night in Pittsburgh, the next morning we drove to McClure (about 4 hours away). David, Kristy and the kids came up from North Carolina so we all stayed at a cabin together. It was so nice to see them all again. I was shocked at how much Connor is changing. He's so much taller and his voice is getting deeper. He's 13 now and I kept wondering where my little nephew had gone. He's still a sweetheart though. Hadassah is really growing up and so cute. She's 3, all girl and loves anything pink. She was having a hayday when Mom and I were unpacking our suitcases. She loves clothes and tells you how cute a particular article of clothing is. Of course, she'll also tell you if she doesn't like it. She's a character.

After getting freshened up at the cabin, we went to the viewing. It was nice to see so many aunts, uncles and cousins again. We rarely get to see them and it's too bad we had to wait for an occasion such as this to get together. One of Dad's brothers, Uncle Eddie, I hadn't seen in probably 20+ years. The last time I saw the others was probably 3 years ago at Thanksgiving.

After Grandpa died they found a folder with funeral details he had put together. It was so like him to have written a final message for everyone to see after his death. In his hand was his Bible and a note (written by Grandpa) that said "As I am you will someday be. Where will you spend eternity?" He had a burden for his family and he was still encouraging us from the grave to make sure our hearts are right with God. Over the course of attending the viewing and funeral I realized even more what a wonderful Christian heritage I have and what a huge responsibility I have to pass that on to my own children. I'm ashamed to say I don't think I've taken it as seriously as I should have. I was very convicted realizing what a blessing it is to be given such a beautiful heritage and what a waste to not live up to that. Maybe especially with a child on the way it just impressed upon me how important it is for me to pass on that heritage to my child and I'm the only one who can do it. It's always been easy to rely on my Mom and Dad, but it's up to me and Sam to have a vibrant spiritual life and to teach our children about God and what really matters in life. What a responsibility we have to ensure our children are raised in a Christ-centered home.

Grandma seems to be dealing with his death alright. I know she's going to be lonely, but he was going downhill for quite awhile and from what we hear he really wasn't himself for the last several months. He didn't know her or others and she knew he would never come home again. Even so, I'm sure she could use your prayers.

When Kristy and David arrived at the cabin on Thursday, they found one mouse in a trap and caught another one that they turned loose outside. The next evening when we returned from the viewing we decide to heat up some leftovers. The microwave wasn't working, so we turned on the oven. A little while later we started smelling this horrible odor and finally realized it was coming from the oven. It was at that time we realized the two adult mice must have had a nest in the oven. Knowing that the awful smell was mice urine, feces and (dead) babies made it unbearable. I truly have not experienced a worse smell. Being pregnant, nasea is close by anyhow and that smell was more than I could handle. It literally was making me gag. It was HORRIBLE! Some of the others were continuing to eat. I have no idea how they kept anything down while sitting in that horrible smell. They turned the oven off and I stayed upstairs where it didn't smell quite so bad. David finally got in touch with the landlord who came over and checked the oven. Thinking she had cleaned everything out, she turned it back on as she left. Of course, the smell just permiated the cabin again. The second time was even worse. It was very late before we got to bed. I fell asleep with my nose buried in the covers.

Because of the jetlag I ended up waking at 4:00 every morning. I was so tired, but couldn't really sleep. Add to that us all needing to get showers and to the church by 9:30 for the funeral and it was pretty interesting. Did I mention it was a very small cabin...with one bathroom...and 5 adults and 2 children? We made it, but it was a little tight. The funeral was excellant. I think the pastors of their church did a wonderful job of mixing the sadness of losing Grandpa with the blessing of knowing that he's in Heaven. They did a great job of giving his life's story. At one point they played over the speakers a portion of his testimony. It was pretty touching to hear Grandpa's voice again.

Following the funeral and the graveside service, the ladies of the church had prepared a meal for everyone. We had a really nice time of visiting. Mom took my camera and got a few pictures during the meal. I did a terrible job of taking pictures this time, but here are a few from after the funeral -

Dad's brother, George and his wife, Sandy

Dad's oldest brother, Eddie, sitting with Grandma. She'll be 90 in February.

Dad and Mom

Me, Mom, Dad, Kristy and David (the kids must have been playing)

Kristy brought things so we could have an abbreviated Thanksgiving dinner together. So, Saturday evening, after the funeral and going to Grandma's for awhile we had a nice dinner. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling well and ended up sleeping through it, but I enjoyed it later.

David and Kristy had to head home on Sunday. We went to church and over to Aunt Ruth's for dinner then got as far as Pittsburgh before stopping for the evening. After staying in that cabin, the hotel room felt like a real luxury. The cabin was fine, but it was nice to have a comfortable bed instead of a 3 inch mattress and a shower with some water pressure.

The next day we drove on to Corry where my Uncle George and Aunt Sandy live. We only had a day there, but we really enjoyed it. They live out in Amish country and it's just beautiful. I went to my first auction Monday evening. That was interesting. I can see how it would get addictive because you can get some great deals there.

We drove back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday since we were all scheduled to fly out on Wednesday. I thouroughly enjoyed shopping at Target and Kohls. That evening we ate at Applebee's. It was so nice to eat at an American restaurant. It's amazing what you take for granted. In Germany I forget what it's like to be able to read a menu in English. I really miss the states and being near my family. I've enjoyed Germany, but I could probably go home anytime now and be happy.

Well, I didn't plan on this being such a long post, but it turned out that way. I had a few pictures from the cabin, but I would need to get on the other computer to flip them, so I think I'll leave them out of this post. Mom will probably end up posting some of them on her blog. Did I mention I'm sick? Everyone at work is fighting a cold and I didn't escape it. Last night I barely slept and ended up staying home today feeling miserable. It doesn't help that I can't take anything with being pregnant. Oh well, better to get it now while I still have 2 weeks before going to Alaska.

On a positive note, I only have 7 more days of work. My last day will be the 12th. Which makes me feel even worse about being sick and staying home. Tomorrow we have our monthy doctor's appointment. I'm almost through my 18th week, so hopefully we'll be able to see what our little peanut is. I would love to find out before going home so I can take advantage of having stores to shop in. I wonder when it will hit me that we're having a baby? It still hasn't and probably won't until he/she is here. Anyhow, pray that the little guy or girl is turned the right way tomorrow. I better get busy. Sam will be home before long. Take care.

Ramblings

I took the plunge and gave my resignation last Thursday. My final day of work will be December 12th. I think it's going to be a real adjustment for me. On the one hand I'm very excited about this next phase of our lives. Preparing for the arrival of the baby, being able to be home and do things there that I haven't been able to. On the other hand it's hard to give up my paycheck and the independence I've always had with having a job. I like the feeling of pulling my weight, even though I truly feel that, if possible, the woman's job is at home taking care of the family. It's just going to take a little time to adjust to being a stay at home wife/mom.

I have not been sleeping well for the last several weeks. Not sure why, but my back hurts and I just don't get a good night's rest. It's Sunday morning at 7:00 and I've been up for over an hour. I would like to be in bed resting peacefully, but here I sit blogging and watching the news.

Hopefully, today I'll be able to finish the painting on the main floor. Seems like I've been saying that for the longest time now. I want to get it finished and put the house back together. When we return from Alaska in January it'll be time to start painting upstairs and and putting the nursery together.

Last week a friend of our neighbor's came to meet Papa kitty. She really liked him, but needed to check with her husband about taking him. Yesterday we saw them in the commissary and she said that her husband didn't think they needed another animal at this point. I could understand that and appreciated their honesty. We have another possibility with one of Sam's co-workers. I really hope we find a good home for him before too much longer. The cats are constantly at each other and it gets really old. Even though she pesters him constantly, I know Gabby's going to miss Papa when he's gone. She will probably drive herself nuts trying to find him when he's no longer here.

On a sad note, my Grandpa Hosier is not doing well. His health has been failing for awhile now, but at this point it's expected he doesn't have much time left. It's sad to see his life coming to an end, but he's lived a long life. He's lived a godly life and has stood as a wonderful example of one who lives their life for God. There's peace in knowing exactly where he's going. I'm so thankful for the Christian heritage that I have.

It's now Monday afternoon and I just got home from work. I did not paint yesterday, but before going to bed last night we moved all the furniture away from the walls so I can probably get most, if not all, of the painting done this afternoon. I will be so glad to get it done. It doesn't take that long once I get busy with it. It's been dragging on for so long because I just didn't feel well enough to do anything for quite awhile.

I'm feeling much better these days. Instead of feeling sick every day I have a couple of good days then a bad day, but over all it's getting better. I'm so excited about heading home in just a few weeks. I cannot wait to be home again - both Alaska and the states. Depending on how I feel, I'm thinking about extending my stay for a few weeks. With not working right now it's a perfect time to stay home longer and get my fill of being home.

All things considered, if I had a choice I would not stay in Germany for that much longer. I miss home desperately and would love to be around my family at this point in my life. I would love to share the baby with them. I've enjoyed Germany, but it's not my home. Our plan was to stay for 5-10 years. Unfortunately, it will probably be closer to 10 since we bought a house. Finances certainly are a consideration and the primary reason we decided to come at all. It's so much easier for me to stay at home with the baby over here. So, it's a trade off. I have to keep in mind why we're here and the benefits of it.

Well, I better get busy if I want to get the painting done today. Until next time...

Update

As of today I am starting my 15th week of pregnancy. I'm amazed at how quickly the weeks are going by. This baby is going to be here before we know it. I think I've been in denial about the inevitability of a growing belly. I need to get a few items of clothing ordered or one of these days I'll find myself with no clothes that fit. It hasn't been a problem yet, of course, but just last week I noticed my waist is starting to expand. Yikes!!

I hate to admit it, but my house is in serious need of a deep cleaning. It's been a long time since I felt good enough to really clean so it's been neglected for awhile now. Last weekend I started repainting the main floor and thought stopping to clean in the middle of it would be counterproductive since after painting it'll need cleaned even better. It really drives me crazy to live in this state of waiting for one thing to be done before I can put it all back together. Hopefully this weekend I'll get the rest of the area painted and able to put everything back in place.

Thankfully, I've been feeling much better this past week. I still have moments throughout the day when I feel incredible sick (as in just this morning), but more and more often I feel pretty good. It's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel of nausea, even if I do still have a ways to go.

Last Friday (31 Oct) I had an appointment with the kidney specialist. I wasn't too concerned, but in the back of my mind I knew I would feel much better after hearing from the doctor. She said that my creatine levels are low, but that's normal during pregnancy. Just to be sure, she did an ultrasound on the kidneys, but other than a cyst on my left kidney everything looked normal, for which I'm very thankful.

Then Thursday we had our 3rd appointment with Dr. Van de Castel and I finally received my Mutterpass. Sam asked her why during the previous appointment my weight and blood pressure hadn't been checked. She said at those appointment they were doing just the preliminary requirements. I guess doing the different tests on my blood. Yesterday she did check my weight and blood pressure. I think they were just waiting until they had the Mutterpass to record it all in. Now instead of going back every two week I'll be going once a month. At our next appointment the baby will be 18 weeks, so I'm really hoping to find out if it's a little boy or girl. I would love to know before going home, so I can do some shopping while there.

Once again we were able to see the baby during the ultrasoud. It's now 7 cm from crown to rump. It's still very active. The doctor commented on it being a very healthy baby because it's moving every time we see it. Then again, with Sam as it's father I wouldn't expect anything different :) We took the camcorder this time and Sam tried to capture the baby moving. At one point we were watching in 3D (it was a side view) and we could see the little hand (and could even count 5 little fingers!!) moving up to it's face. I'm not sure if it was sucking it's thumb or not, but it was thrilling to see that tiny little being becoming more and more like a baby. It's still amazing to me to realize that little life is growing inside of me.

For awhile now Sam and I have been discussing when I'll stop working. Before getting pregnant I always imagined I would work right up until the baby came, but being pregnant I feel differently. I now feel like this is a great time to be at home. Finishing things up that I probaby won't have time for after the baby arrives. Not to mention this will be the last time it's just the two of us. With all of that in mind, we've pretty much decided that I'll quit in December. We're going to Alaska over the holidays anyhow, so I just won't be returning to work when we get back. It feels like the right time and I'm so thankful that we're at a place in our lives where I don't really need to work. I feel very blessed that I'm able to stay home with our child.

Today we drove to Heidelberg because they're having a Holiday Bazaar this weekend. For lunch, we met up with our friend, Kris Davis, and her parents. I always really enjoy our time together. It's a shame that we live so close yet rarely get together. Hopefully, that will change once I quit work. We enjoyed our day and even found a couple of things to buy. We always see such great pieces of furniture, but unfortunately we don't have the space for any more furniture right now. When the time gets close for us to leave Germany we plan to start buying some pieces that we can take back to the states with us.

Well, that's what's going on with us. Until next time...

Another doctor appointment

We had our second doctor appointment this last Wednesday. Now that I know what to expect at these appointments I'm not near as nervous. I actually look forward to them knowing that we'll get to see the baby again. That's one aspect of having a baby in Germany that I'm realizing I really like. We'll have a whole slew of ultrasound pictures by the time the baby's born. When we saw the baby this time we could definitely see it had about doubled in size. It's about 3 inches in length now. I'm still amazed at how developed a little human can be at that size. At my next appointment we're going to take the camcorder to try and capture the baby moving. Both times now it has really been squirming around. We could see the little legs and arms moving about. Very cool.

Ultrasound of the baby at 11 weeks 4 days.

3D of the baby on the right.

The doctor went over the blood test results with us. She said everything looks good except one of my kidneys may not be working as good as it should be. She wants me to see a kidney specialist next week. I'm not too concerned about it, but of course I'll feel better once we've heard what that doctor has to say.

We like our doctor, but I do wonder about not having my blood pressure or weight checked yet. This was my second appointment and still nothing. Seems a bit strange to me.

Just today it hit me again that we're having a baby. Not another pet, a new toy or a child to babysit for awhile, but a little baby of our own to raise. I wasn't feeling very good, so I laid on the couch while Sam showered. With hearing the water running and the house being so quiet I thought about what it'll be like to have a baby around. I almost had a moment of panic thinking "what are we doing...our lives will never be this quiet again". I do feel scared sometimes thinking how differently our lives are going to be. Everyone says it's a good change, but it just seems so final. I'm sure it's normal to have such thoughts. Even though we know I'm pregnant it's still hard for us to grasp the reality of having a child of our own. What a huge responsibility!

On another note - I think we need to find a new home for Papa Kitty. I've been avoiding it because he's such a nice cat and I'm not one to get rid of pets. Having a pet is a lifetime commitment to me, but the cats just aren't getting along. Gabby grumbles at him constantly and he's so sweet and patient. If they just argued I would not have a problem with keeping him, but it goes beyond that. Bless his heart, he has the patience of a saint, but every so often he's had enough and fights back. When he does, Gabby howls like he's killing her and ends up peeing all over the floor. It's so obnoxious. Thankfully, until now it's only been on the tile and while inconvenient, it was easy to clean up. Well, last night after we went to bed we heard them go at it again. Gabby was really making a scene and I knew I better go check to see if she had made a mess. Sure enough, this time she was on the living room rug. I just cannot deal with this for the next 10-15 years (however long they live). I feel so guilty getting rid of Papa, but I really have no choice. On top of it being a mess I'm always cleaning up, we're having a baby that will be crawling around the floors and I don't want to have to worry about what they might crawl through. I probably should not have had Mom bring him over, but I did. I don't know what I was thinking. Gabby is not a social cat at all. If we only had Papa he would be the perfect little pet. He's so sweet and courteous. I have no idea who we can give him to. I'm picky about who I'd want to have him. Anyhow, it's just something that weighs on me, but I don't really know how to resolve it. Most people would probably not understand why I would get rid of him and keep Gabby, but she's my baby that I raised from a bottle and it's not even an option with me. She's my first priority.

Sam has really been busy in the backyard. I'll try to post pictures before long. He's replacing the fence we had with a taller, more private one. Mainly because of the neighbors being so close in the back. We have tried our best to be good neighbors, but they seem to be the type that will pick at anything, so we want to have as much privacy as possible. Also, Sam removed a couple rows of the patio to make more yard space. He loves working in the yard, but never realizes how big of a project something is until he's in the middle of it and there's no turning back. It looks really good. I'm so proud of my husband. He's constantly working to make the house look better and he does a good job of it.

Well, I think that's about it for now. I'm not doing too good at posting blogs in a timely manner these days. Actually, I can't really blame it on how I've felt lately. I didn't do too good prior to being pregnant either. I still want to do a post about Sam's parents being here, but just haven't had the time to upload all the pictures that requires. Until next time...

First doctor's appointment

I didn't go to work on Tuesday.  I was feeling even more sick than usual and just couldn't get myself together.  I would bet it had something to do with the sauerkraut juice the doctor recommended I take.  More on that later.  I'm having a  hard time giving 100% at work right now.  I don't like to feel like I'm not doing my best, but it's just the way it is right now.  My hope is that I start feeling better in the next couple of weeks.

So, we had our first doctor's appointment on Monday.  The doctor I was scheduled to see is still out sick.  From what I understand, he's close to 70 and became sick while on vacation.  They're not sure if he's returning to practice or not.  I ended up seeing the other doctor in the office.  I liked her and will probably end up staying with her since she was comfortable for me. 

Obviously, since this is my first pregnancy, I've never been to a doctor in the states for that particular reason, but I have been for other "female" issues and I was surprised at how little was done at this appointment.  Basically, I had an ultra sound and they drew some blood.  No weight or blood pressure check.  I did get a pile of books and brochures - all in German.  I guess that won't help me much, but it was a nice gesture.  I'm scheduled to go back in two weeks though so perhaps more will be done at that point.  I was pleasantly surprised with the appointment.  It wasn't near as intimidating as I thought it would be. The doctor was very understanding about my modesty issues so that set me at ease. 

Sam came in and we were able to see our baby for the first time on the screen.  Even at this tiny stage I'm amazed that it has the shape of a baby.  I thought the picture the doctor printed out was really good - as ultra sound pictures go.  I am in the 10th week.  We were able to hear the heartbeat too.  What an awesome experience to see and hear our baby for the first time!  It makes it even clearer to me that there is a little life inside of me.  I don't understand how, after seeing an ultra sound of this baby even at just 10 weeks old, anyone could claim that it is not a viable life.   That it's just a blob and not deserving of  the basic right to life.

Anyhow, so we talked with the doctor for quite awhile and she answered some of my questions.   I mentioned that I've had quite a bit of heartburn lately.  That's when she suggested I drink some sauerkraut juice in the morning before eating.  She said it's really great for the digestion.  Did I mention that the German's are really into natural medicine?? I didn't think it sounded great, but since I do eat sauerkraut sometimes I thought it would be bearable.  Was I ever wrong!! 

Tuesday morning I got up and before taking my shower decided to dutifully drink my sauerkraut juice.  I got about 3 swallows down and decided that was all I could handle.  By the time I got out of the shower and was trying to eat a little cereal for breakfast I realized I might just lose it.  I think I was sitting with the trash can close by when Sam came home from taking his Dad to the airport.  He convinced me to call in sick and get back in bed.  Needless to say, the rest of the juice went down the drain.  It just may have ruined sauerkraut for me for the rest of my life. 

I have been so tired and can't seem to get enough sleep.  Almost everyday when I get off work I come home and lay down for a couple of hours.  Even with the extra sleep I can barely drag myself out of bed.  I really look forward to the weekends so I can sleep in.  I've felt like a terrible hostess with Sam's parents here.  I haven't been cooking or visiting much because I usually walk in and go upstairs to bed.  I think they understand, but it makes me feel bad that I'm not better company. 

Here is one of the ultrasound pictures from Monday.  It's  a picture I took of the ultrasound print, so the quality is not the best, but it should enlarge if you click on it.  I realize we may see more in it because it's our baby, but I thought it was a pretty good picture.  The baby is facing the front and the head is on the left.  You can kind of make out the little arms, belly and legs.  It was pretty cool to see it moving around so much.  I'm amazed at the detail already on a little being that is only about an inch long.  I'm really happy that they do ultrasounds at just about every appointment.  We should have no problem knowing if it's a boy or girl in another couple of months.

Well, that's about it for now.  It's Saturday and I'm just taking it easy, but will have to get busy in a little bit. My poor house has been neglected lately with me not feeling so well.  Sam's working in the backyard.  Tomorrow we're driving to Bad Kreuznach after church to meet up with Sam's Mom and his uncles.  He hasn't seen his two uncles in many years and I haven't met them, so it should be nice. 

We're expecting.....

Ok, so this is going to be a different kind of post.  I'm starting this on September 11.  We wanted to wait until we told most of our families before telling the world, but I want to keep track of what's going on so this post will include several dates.  

We have some exciting news to share.  We found out a couple of days ago that we're having a  BABY!!!!!   Even writing that feels so odd to me.  I still haven't quite wrapped my brain around the fact that I'm pregnant.  ME! PREGNANT!!!!!  Even though we always planned to have children I guess I just never thought about what it would be like to be pregnant.  It's amazing and terrifying all at the same time.  I've been thinking of nothing else since that little test strip flashed  "pregnant".   I kind of "knew" for about a week, but I still wasn't totally prepared to have it confirmed.  My best calculation puts the birth sometime around next May.

As unsacred as it sounds, I think one of my first thoughts was "Crap!  Why didn't I get serious about losing some weight before this?".  I wonder how many women think that??  Then as dumb as it sounds I didn't know what to eat.  No soft cheese, uncooked eggs, undercooked meat, sushi (not a problem for me).....and the list goes on.  It immediately changed the way I thought about what I ate.  I was acutely aware that I was not just putting food in my body, but that I was responsible for the nutrition that this little life needed. 

I have so many questions about pregnancy in general, but also about having a baby in Germany, so I've been reading just about everything I can online.  I really wish I was near Mom and Kristy so I could share the experience and be with someone who's been through it before.  It's hard to be so far away at this point in my life.

For awhile now I've needed to get to the doctor, but have been ignoring it because I wasn't looking forward to that experience here in Germany.  Now, I have no choice and need to schedule an appointment.  That's a whole other consideration.  Being in a foreign country makes me a little nervous because they do things so differently here.  Without going into too many details I'll just say that (from what I've heard) the German's don't have an issue with modestly....or lack of modesty.  I'm nervous to go to the doctor, but I've heard that having a baby in Germany is a great experience.  I tend to think they don't rush the process and schedule births like doctors in the States do.  I've heard it's normal to stay in the hospital for 1-2 weeks after having the baby.  I guess I'll find out.

 

9/12/08                                                                                                                       Sam picked me up at lunchtime and we went to an OB/GYN in our town to see about getting an appointment.  Now, more than ever, I just wish I was home in the states and didn't have to deal with having a baby in a foreign country.  None of the receptionists spoke English, so Sam set up the appointment.  The earliest appointment they have is on the 25th.  I expected to be told to start pre-natal vitamins or to get in quickly for a checkup, but they didn't seem in any rush.  I left there in tears.  It all feels a little overwhelming right now.  It's so different here.  I've never had a baby in the states either, but at least there I would know more what to expect, would be able to understand what people are saying, be able to ask questions, etc.  It all just scares me at this point.  I've been trying to read up about it online too and it seems the more I read the more I realize how different things are here.  I'd like to talk to someone who's had a baby here.  I wish we could use the Health Clinic on post, but they refer everyone out, so that's not even an option. At this point I feel like my hands are tied behind my back and I don't have a real say in my health.  It's difficult not being able to communicate when it MY health that's being discussed. I'm just hoping I feel differently once I've been to the doctor.

 

9/14/08

I really haven't had much morning sickness yet, but I have a general feeling of nausea.  I've found that I try to snack on something every couple of hours to keep something in my stomach.  This morning we were on our way to church and I wasn't feeling too good.  I realized it had been about 3 hours since breakfast, so we stopped at the Shoppette for some crackers.  I'll have to learn to keep something with me.  I'm hoping not to get to the point of throwing up.  I must say that a positive side effect of my pregnant self is that I have no sweet tooth.  For me that's very unusual, but I'm enjoying it.  Just the thought of candy or sweets kind of turns my stomach.  I hope it stays that way for a long time to come.

  Sam's parents fly in on Wednesday so we've spent this weekend doing some deeper cleaning.  Bless Sam's heart - he cleaned ALL of the windows yesterday.  Inside and out.  It took him about 6 hours in all.  They look great though and I so appreciated him doing that.  Today I'm just going to finish vacuuming and mopping the floors.  I know once the week starts I won't have much time for that.

 

9/21/08

As of yesterday I am 8 weeks along.  I can't say I've experienced "morning sickness" yet, but seem to instead have "all-day sickness".  I have absolutely no appetite and any kind of food turns my stomach.  Yesterday Sam and I drove up to Ramstein to go to the bazaar there.  I was not feeling well and was so tired so I slept all the way there and back.  It was a really nice bazaar. I love being on a large American base.  It felt like a little America.  

This morning has been the worst day yet as far as feeling poorly.  This morning we were up getting ready for church.  I passed out in the shower.  I didn't feel well and was trying to get done so I could lay back down and the next thing I knew Sam was helping me up off the floor.  I was so sick so Sam helped me, dripping wet, climb back into bed.  Needless to say we didn't make it to church.  I've felt terrible today and all I've wanted to do is sleep.  I'm not sure how I'm going to get through this week at work.  It's a difficult time to take sick leave because this is my last week at CPAC then next week is my first back at NAF.  It's not really the most opportune time to be out sick. 

 

9/28/08

Feeling sick CONSTANTLY is starting to wear on me.  Thankfully I haven't  been throwing up, but the last couple of mornings I was very close to it.  I hope that's not next.  As of yesterday I was 9 weeks along.  Another month and I'll be past the 1st trimester - I'm hoping the nausea lessens at that time. 

I'm not used to feeling so fragile.   I'm usually a pretty healthy person, but being pregnant is a different story.  I feel weak and sick most of the time.  Just this morning Mom told me "That's what makes this your baby".  I guess she's right.  At this point though I still don't really grasp the reality that we're having a baby.  Sam and I just shake our heads because neither one of us is sure what to think.  Of course we're happy, but probably a bit petrified too - to be honest. 

Sam and his parents went to Garmisch over the weekend. I would have loved to go, but they won't be back until tomorrow evening and I have to start with NAF in the morning.  I sure have missed my husband though.  It's amazing how we get so used to having each other around and even take each other for granted, but when he's not here I feel a part of me is gone.  I'll be glad when they come back tomorrow. 

Oh, also I scheduled an appointment with a different doctor.  I've been talking to a lady that works with Sam.  She had a baby here last year and is expecting again.  She's been a great source of information.  I decided to go with the doctor she sees.  We have an appointment set for Oct. 6th.  I think it'll be good to have the appointment and get some of my questions answered.  Well, I need to get to bed.  I'm starting back with NAF in the morning and I seem to need more sleep these days....for whatever reason :)

Anniversary trip to Spain

September 4th  marked the 4th anniversary of our marriage.  It's hard to believe we've been married for four years already.  Time does go by fast, although in some ways it seems like a lifetime ago that we were living so far apart.  We either emailed or talked on the phone just about every day for those two years we "dated".  I think those were important times because we really learned who each of us was during all those conversations.  Even though we thought we knew each other well it was still a huge adjustment to go from the long distance to being in the same house after marriage.  I think Sam made the adjustment with more grace than I did.  He's a much more easy-going person.  He sees life as an adventure and looks forward to the changes that life brings.  I, on the other hand, look at life very seriously and worry about every change before, during and long after it's happened. 

Getting married was no exception.  It was very hard to leave my home and family.  I didn't want to have to choose between my family and Sam.  I wanted them both.  I always saw myself  staying in Alaska and being near my parents.  I love spending time with my family.  There is nowhere I feel more comfortable than at home with them.  That is when I feel the most "me".  I know who I am there. 

Through all the ups and downs Sam and I are committed to each other and I can't think of anyone I would rather spend my life with.  I'm so blessed with the husband God brought into my life.  I'm so thankful for him.  He keeps our life interesting to say the least and he is patient with me through all of my moods.  I'm so proud to call him my husband and to share my life with him.  He's the sweetest and most fun person I know.  I really am blessed to be married to my best friend. 

While overseas something we want to take advantage of is being in such close proximity to so many other countries.  Sam's been wanting to go somewhere warm and near the ocean, so he's been busy planning a trip to southern Spain. We left Stuttgart very early Friday morning to drive to the Frankfurt-Hahn airport.  Flying into Spain I was surprised to see miles upon miles of agricultural land.  It seemed to be a bit past the growing season though because everything looked dry and brown.  It could just be the time of year it is.  Perhaps in January or February it's green and lush.  It wasn't too hot, which I was happy about. 

Sam had made lodging reservations at the Naval Base in Rota.  Something interesting though is the base is owned and controlled by the Spanish Navy.  The American Navy is just stationed there.  So when we went to get the visitor pass for the car we were told we were not allowed on post.  Well then...I was trying to think if we saw any hotels on our way in....nope, can't say I did.  Rota seems pretty poor and run down and I wasn't looking forward to finding a place to stay there.  Thankfully, it was finally determined that we would be allowed in just because Sam had an official leave slip signed.  WHEW!!!  That was a relief. 

We were so happy to finally get checked in at the Navy Lodging.  We found the Spanish people to be really warm and friendly.  
Just about everyone we met was very helpful and friendly. Even the man who originally told us we were not allowed on post.  He was very nice while banning us from entering :)

At the base of Spain and just across the Strait of Gibraltar is Tangier, Morocco.  Sam really wanted to go into Africa and kill two birds with one stone.  So, Saturday morning we drove a couple of hours south to Tarifa.  Tarifa reminded us both of the North Shore in Hawaii.  Just a nice surfer town.  We took a ferry across to Tangier.  We were really excited about our visit to Africa.  Unfortunately,if I ever go back to Morocco it will be too soon.  As soon as we walked off the ferry we were bombarded with people trying to get us to hire them to be our tour guide.  They were absolutely relentless and would not take no for an answer.  It was incredibly unnerving to me.  We would just get rid of one when another one would approach and pester us.  They followed us everywhere and would ignore us when we kept saying no.  One of them was saying they would take us in their car to the city.  My thought was "that sounds like something you hear on the news.  Two Americans disappear in Morocco".  I wasn't about to get into their car.  I didn't trust anyone there.  To make what felt like a long story short - we never left the harbor and within 45 minutes were back on the ferry heading back to Spain.   I was very uncomfortable with how aggressive the people were.  To make matters worse there was (I found out later) a two hour time different from Tarifa to Tangier and no one could seem to give us the correct time so we didn't know for sure when the next ferry was leaving.  I really wanted to go into town to do some shopping.  One Euro was equal to 11 Dirhams, so I was looking forward to it, but I never felt safe enough to leave the harbor.  It was a shame to be there and not really see the city.  Oh well, I would rather be safe.

Here's Sam as we were getting ready to board the ferry.

 

On the ferry - The land mass behind us is Africa.

 

Looking back at Tarifa, Spain

 

Heading toward the harbor of Morocco

 

I was so happy to get back to our car and be on our way back to Rota.  I really don't enjoy being in foreign countries.  Germany is still foreign and is not home to me, but at least here Sam speaks the language and it feels more safe. 

Sunday we stayed close and just went to a local beach.  We were there for a couple of hours and the sun was refusing to shine so we got up to leave.  We walked a ways down the boardwalk and by the time we got back to the car the sun was out.  So, we headed back to the beach for a little while and managed to get just a little bit of color. 

Leaving the beach we saw this huge cactus plant.

We headed back to German Monday morning.  Friend's of Sam's family live close to the Frankfurt-Hahn airport and they were gracious enough to let us park the car at their place over the weekend.  They dropped us off and picked us up from the airport.  We visited with them for a little while before heading back to Stuttgart.  Sam had to work in the morning.  I had taken the next day off and I'm so glad I did.  I really enjoyed just having a day to hang around the house.  I was able to get a few things done that I don't usually get to through the week. 

Well, that's about it for now.  Until next time...

This and that....

Another week has come and gone.  Seems like summer is coming to an end here in Germany.  I can't say that I'm sorry to see the hot weather give way to cooler days.  I am most comfortable on crisp fall or winter days.  I'm sure it stems from growing up in Alaska.  I feel most at home in cool weather.  It just gives me this snuggly feeling of wanting to be home with family. Cooler weather makes me think of the holidays too and I love that time of  year.  Anyhow, I'm sure we still have some warm days ahead, but it's been chilly at night and we actually turned the floor heat on in the living room the other day.  With tile throughout the house it was getting really cold at times. 

Sam's parents are coming for a visit around the middle of September. It's going to be nice having them here.  There is still so much that I need to do in this house, but it's a slow work in progress.  One thing that's really been baffling to me here in Germany is where to get curtains.  I know that must seem very odd, but a lot of our windows have no room for a curtain rod above, so I'll need to use a track system that they have here.  My problem was I couldn't seem to find curtains that were made to be used with the track.  Yesterday we were at Obi and Sam talked to one of the workers and, bless her heart, she explained the whole thing to us.  So now, I know how to do that, but Sam has to install all the tracks in the windows and I just need to pick out curtains. 

I'm not crazy about the color I painted the main floor (living room and dining room), so I'm looking at paint again.  I'm sure it won't get done before Mom and Higgins get here, but will as soon as I have time. 

Speaking of having time...I'm happy to say that as of Friday I accepted another position back in the NAF office (the job I left in June) although this time I'm going to be working part time as an HR Specialist.  I've very happy about this move.  While I'm glad to have the experience of working in the CPAC it's just too stressful for me right now.  Our office is responsible for bringing on the new employees for AFRICOM (the brand new Africa Command here in Stuttgart) and we're  on a timeline to get them to full operation by a certain date.  It's been requiring a lot of overtime and we don't really have much support from management.  Prior to this I never thought I would take a part time position, but at this point quality of life wins over the monetary advantage of working full time. I'll  be transferring to the new job on 29 September.

I should be working around 5 hours a day which is perfectly fine with me.  I love the idea of having 4 extra hours in the day.  Time to keep up with the house during the week and get some much needed projects done.  I probably won't be taking much time off while Sam's parents are here though because I will have just switched jobs once again, but I may get a couple of days off. 

Sam and I got a kick out of this.  Last week in church one of the ladies said that her daughter had a picture for us.  She said it reminded her of us (Sam and me).  Here it is....

Isn't that the funniest thing?  Of all the pictures out there, this one made her think of us.  People have told us that we resemble each other.  I don't know if that's what made her think of us or that we're short and stubby.  Either way, we thought it was cute and we have the picture hanging on our fridge.

Well, that about it for now. Until next time...

Our Lazy Day

I'm going to try posting from Windows Live Writer again and hope it does alright.  It's a lot simpler than Blogger, so I want to see if it works better on the second time around.

We've had a really nice and slow Saturday.  The Olympics started yesterday, but with the time delay, the opening ceremony came on here at 8:00 this morning.  We watched that for several hours this morning, then Sam took off to go to some stores.  He's returning my cell phone for I believe it's the 3rd time now.  I got the phone in January, but it's just never worked right.  It doesn't hold a charge.  It's completely unreliable.  Sometimes it holds a charge for a day, other times just a few hours.  It's never available when I need it, so really what's the point in having it?  The first time we took it back to Media Markt we were told that legally they had the right to fix it 3 times before we could request a replacement phone, so we're now on the 3rd return for the same problem and we'll see if I can get a different phone.

Several months ago Sam put in for another position within CYS and just two weeks ago he was selected for and accepted it.  He'll be the new Child & Youth Services Administrator, which is a brand new job so he doesn't know entirely what it will consist of.  Regardless, we think it's a good move for him.  He loves his job as SAS director and loves being in a position where he can interact with the kids, but this is a step up and overall a good thing.  I'm so proud of him.  His center is known to be a good place to work at because he's a great boss and his personality makes for a fun place to work.  I had a pretty good feeling he would be selected, but I'm happy that it worked out and I just hope he enjoys it too. 

Last weekend we  had Carmen, my friend from Hawaii, and her family over.  They arrived in Germany in December and are stationed in Heidelberg.  I thought we would have gotten together long before now, but it's not easy when we're both working and we only have the weekends.  Anyhow, it was nice to see them again.  We cooked out here at the house then took the train to downtown Stuttgart later in the afternoon.  Wouldn't you know I didn't get the camera out all day?  So... I have no pictures to show for that day.

Since June we've had a lot of construction taking place behind our house.  We were less than thrilled to know a house was going up behind us, but knew it was a possibility since we didn't own the land.  It's going to be a single family house then in front of it, closer to the road, there's going to be a double house built.  They really build the houses close together here.  It's been interesting watching the process.  I took a few pictures just when the basement was being dug and started, then forgot to take any more until just recently.  It's going to be quiet out back for several weeks now because the construction workers are on "holiday".  We've found that most people take their vacations during August.  A lot of family run restaurants close for several weeks during this  time too.

 

The back of our house as they started to dig the basement

                       More of the basement dug out

                               Starting on the basement

                               This is how it looks today

           What we see on the other side of our yard

As you can see the house is right out our back door, but at least we have a fence up and their yard will be dug down to the level of ours.  The stones and fence will provide a good barrier between us.  Sam's thinking about replacing the fence we have with a taller solid fence that would totally block the view.

Well, that's about it from here.  Until next time...

Blogger issues

If you have Google Reader, you saw that last post about 3 different times. Sorry about that. I used Windows Live Writer for that post and it cut one of the pictures off. When I went into Blogger to edit it some of the HTML script wasn't recognized. I have other things I need to be doing instead of spending an hour trying to figure this out, but I'm done for the night.

Playing catch up

I should apologize for how neglectful I've been of my blog lately. Both Mom and Tom commented on it being well over a month since my last post. Hopefully I haven't lost my few faithful readers :) I've just been so busy and overloaded that I haven't had it in me to stop and take the time to put a post together.

This month has flown by. It's hard to believe Mom and Dad have been gone for 7 weeks already. I loved having them here and I'm already looking forward to our visit at Christmas.

After they left I returned to work at NAF for only one week then switched to my new position in CPAC. It's just down the hall and I already knew the people I'd be working with so I wasn't too nervous about starting. It's ended up being far more stressful than I thought it would be though. I've been doing some serious contemplating about staying there or moving on. I don't want to work overtime because my life outside of work is more important to me, but I feel like I'm almost expected to there. It's been necessary to work some extra hours just to stay on top of the workload, but I'm really fighting falling into that trap.

There may be another job opportunity on the horizon. If things turn out the way I'm secretly hoping - I may even be working less hours which would be wonderful, but until it's set in stone I'll not go into too much detail. I wouldn't want to jinx it.

I'm the only American in my area of the CPAC and it's proven to be a little interesting. I like cool weather and the two other ladies like it HOT. They get cold at the slightest breeze, so on days like today (90 degrees out) they refuse to turn on the AC. If someone does turn it on the reprieve only lasts for a few minutes before one of them says their throat is hurting. I have bitten my tongue on a number of occasions.

In all my years I've never had my name scrutinized like I have here in Germany. Obviously, Mom and Dad didn't consult the world before naming me. German's don't like the name and several people at work can't seem to say "Misty". I didn't think it was that hard, but obviously I was mistaken. My name comes out as Mitzy, Missy, Melissa, Mindy,...anything but MISTY. I've given up on correcting them and just answer to anything that sounds similar to my name.

Something that really surprised me is that (from what I gather) a lot of German women have house cleaners. One girl I work with who is younger than me and has a young child, was gong to be interviewing a new cleaner. I was surprised that she would have a cleaner for her house and she said "Well, I don't want to clean my house." Well then....I never knew it was an option. I always thought if I wanted a clean house then I had to clean it. We American's are so unenlightened , aren't we? Sure it might make life easier, since I'm working full time, but I still take pride in cleaning my own home.

Summer's always a busy time for Sam because the SAS kids are out of school and need full time care. This summer's even busier with having lost several of his long time employees over the last couple of months. Several college age kids are back with Camp Adventure. Sam had pity on them and asked me to make a dinner for them. So, I sent in a pan of lasagna, rolls and cookies. They seemed to enjoy it so much that I'll probably try to make dinner for them again before they leave.

Unfortunately, the cats are still not getting along. I really thought after two months they would be getting along a little better, but Gabby just can't stand the sight of Papa. She actually searches for him, then picks at and chases him around the house. Poor little guy. I feel bad for him, but he is completely capable of fighting back, but is docile enough that he won't until he's had enough. While Gabby picks at Papa mercilessly, he doesn't seem to "get it" either. He'll follow her around until she sees him, then hisses and swats to chase him away. You would think he'd steer clear of her, but he just seems too interested in her to stay away.

His absolute favorite place in the house is the couch. He will lay there for hours. He's so cute. Sam says he reminds him of a cartoon character. He's so big and it's cute when he tries to run. He's probably the sweetest cat I've ever known.

His newest favorite spot though is Sam's recliner. Sometimes he's there when I leave for work and in the exact same spot when I get home 9 hours later. He must move at some point through the day, but you wouldn't know it.

We saw a rat out back on the patio tonight. Sam promptly closed all windows. There's a lot of construction going on behind our house and I think it's chasing the little critters out. We have to be careful because we have the cats that go out back , but if I know my husband he'll be setting traps all over the back yard.

In the past I've mentioned our ongoing saga of the phone lines. Here's the most recent update. Back a few months ago we moved the router down to the living room behind the entertainment center so all the wires could be hidden. The downside of that was the desktop no longer received a signal. We wanted to try the router in a different jack closer to the computer, but Deutch Telecom told us we could only have one phone jack working at a time, so we were stuck. Deutch Telecom has a monopoly on the phone business and it's absolutely ridiculous. Every time they come out to turn on a different jack it cost about $100. It's just a way to cheat people out of money if you ask me. Anyhow, Sam knows someone who said they could get all of our jacks working, so we had him come out. He's an electrician by trade and had never seen such a poor wiring job as what he found here. The phone jacks had never even been connected. The wires were just in a roll down in the utility room. Early on we asked what the wires were for because they were coming out of the wall and looked like they should be hooked to something, but of course we never got a straight answer. A job that should have been relatively simple turned into a couple day job. We were very happy when he got all of our phone jacks working. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped the Internet connection on the desk top, but at least now if we decide to move the router again we can just do it and not have to pay yet again.

Well, I think that about covers what's been going on in our lives. I'll try to do better about updating this blog. We need to get the desktop working again, so I can post some more recent pictures. Until then, this will have to do.

Our trip to Venice

(Once again, this post is very late. It was started the day after Mom and Dad left and I'm just now to the point of posting it. I think this one should catch me up to date though. With going back to work this week I haven't had the time I need to get them finished.)

Sadly, Mom and Dad left yesterday morning. Since they were scheduled to fly out of Frankfurt, we left the house at 6:00 to give us enough time for the drive, getting checked in and finding the gate. I hate saying goodbye to my family. Someday I hope to live close to them again. Visits are not enough for me because it's never enough. It's just a visit. Not everyday life, but everyone on top of each other for a few weeks and no matter how much we enjoy being together it's never as comfortable as when we can interact on a more regular basis and not try to force everything into a few weeks. I always feel like I need to soak it all up while they're here to hold me over to the next visit, but it just doesn't work that way.

The house felt very empty when we got home from Frankfurt. It was strangely quiet with just the two of us in the house...not counting the two bickering cats. Mom often leaves me a little note when they've been here visiting. It's always nice to hear from her one more time. She didn't disappoint and I found the note in the guest room. Thanks Mom :o)

I'm coming down with some bug. Dad was pretty sick a couple of days they were here, then Sam came down with it a few days ago. Yesterday morning I started feeling a sore throat. Hopefully I can get over it by Monday. I'm sure a call to my boss on Monday morning would not be very welcome. Especially since it's my last week with NAF. I know my plate will be quite full with finishing things up with that job in time to move to the other one the following Monday.

During my previous blogs about Mom and Dad being here I somehow skipped over several days and also failed to post our trip to Venice, which was awesome! So, even though it's late and out of order I'm still going to post it.

First though, just a couple of days after they got here we went to Berg Hohen Zollern which is a castle that is very close to us and is still owned by the royal family which once occupied it. They were the rulers of Prussia and the sole heir owns it now and has private quarters in the castle where he lives when in the area.

Some of us (not me) were feeling energetic, so we decided to climb the hill to and from the castle. Keep in mind - castles by nature are at the very top of the hill. I wasn't incredibly excited about it, but figured I could use the exercise too, so off we went. At the end I was glad we walked it. We had a lot of fun.

Mom and Dad climbing the stairs to the castle

Sam on the way to the castle

Me and Sam at the castle entrance

Mom sitting in the castle wall

Mom looking out one of the guard towers

Sam and Dad standing on the castle gate covering the mote

One of the towers

Mom and Dad

This is where we entered for the tour of the castle -

unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside.

Now on to Venice. One week after Mom and Dad got here we headed to Venice, Italy. It was about a 6 to 8 hour drive and through the most beautiful country. Our trip took us from Germany, through the Alps of Austria and then into Italy. I can't even explain how beautiful it was. We were right in the mountains and gorgeous scenery surrounded us. There were small villages nestled into the mountainsides. There's no way a picture can do it justice.

On the way down we had breakfast in Germany, lunch in Austria and dinner in Italy. This is the view we had while having lunch in Austria.

Lunch in Austria

Somewhere in Austria taking a break from the car. (I have no idea why Sam's missing a shoe)

This is not the best picture because we were driving, but it gives an idea of the houses scattered on the mountainsides.

By the time we made it to Mestre (the newer part of Venice which is not part of the islands) we had been travelling all day and had been in heavy traffic the last hour or two. Once again, I was so thankful for Tom-Tom navigating us right to the hotel. It was about 8:00pm and as we made our way to the hotel I was wondering what my friend, Marika, had gotten us into. It looked like a very shady part of town, an industrial area, and lots of seedy characters hanging out on the street corners. I was not very comfortable with the situation and our hotel ended up being right in the middle of it all. I had reservations about staying there after seeing the area it was in, but we decided to check it out.

It was very basic to say the least. Just one double and two twin beds and one very small bathroom with the smallest shower I've ever seen. Seriously, I think it was about as wide as Sam's shoulders. I still don't know how he or Dad managed to take a shower in it. But we figured all we needed was a place to sleep while we were there, so it would work. We were all hungry and decided to walk to a restaurant close by. We had to give our car keys to the man at the front desk because the parking area was so small that they had to have the keys in case they needed to move the car.

I honestly was very worried about our things being stolen. We couldn't leave anything in the car for safe keeping because they had the key, neither did I feel secure leaving anything in our room since they also, obviously, had a key to that. In the end, we decided things would probably be safer in the room, but we did our best to hide anything of value.

Mom standing in the world's smallest shower (notice the broken door)

We had many discussion on what we thought this extra little "toilet" was, but I'm pretty sure it was a bidet since I don't think it was intended for foot washing. Whatever it was - I steered clear of it.

We walked to a small cafe and had pizza. It was hot and we were all rather miserable. On our way back to the room we were approached by a man who may have just been friendly, but he made me want to hold on to my purse a little tighter. We were happy to drop into bed that night no matter how hard the mattresses were.

It's amazing how a night's sleep and sunlight can change your outlook in a situation. The next morning the sun was shining brightly and it looked so beautiful outside. After having a small continental breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to catch the bus to Venice. That was another interesting experience. We missed the first bus because we hesitated. People were crammed onto the bus and silly us - we thought we'd wait for the next bus because surely it wouldn't be so packed :) We finally caught on and decided when the next bus got there we would just cram on with everyone else. These Europeans know how to pack people on a bus. For the ride over to Venice we were all standing and I could barely even move my arms. We certainly felt like sardines.

Mom and Dad outside the Monte Piana hotel where we stayed

Me and Sam

Venice was truly amazing! Before our trip I really didn't understand that Venice is a cluster of small islands connected by bridges for the most part. There are water canals that run through the whole area and you walk everywhere because there's no room for roads. Boats ferries take you between all the islands. When we got off the bus we took a boat up through the Grand Canal. There were stops all along the way that we could get off at. Something interesting to see is everything being delivered by boat because there is no access for vehicles. Mail, laundry, furniture, groceries, trash pick up....everything. They even have emergency boats and police boats.

Furniture being delivered by boat.

Sam and I on the boat

The shoreline of San Marco Square

One of the many canals

Another canal with gondolas

We got off at San Marco Square and started our adventure. There was so much to see. So many little stores to shop in. It's definitely a tourist town. It was obvious that tourism is what their economy is based on.

Mom and Dad on the walkway from the boat

Me, Sam and Dad standing by a canal.

Feeding the pigeons in Piazza San Marco.

Mom absolutely loved this!

We took ferries to two other islands. Murano is known for their blown glass and Burano is known for their lace and doilies. At the end of the day we realized we had just touched the surface of Venice and needed about a week there to really take it all in. Once again, pictures just don't do it justice, but it's absolutely beautiful and unique.

Waiting for the next boat

Sam and I outside the glass blowing factory on Murano

Sam and I on a bridge in Murano

Canal in Murano

Sam and I on the boat after a long day in Venice

Well, that was our trip to Venice. It's a shame that pictures can't do it the justice it deserves. We'll definitly go back some day, but I think we'll stay for several days next time. There's so much more to see than what we had time for.