The parental visit

Kelly: Wow, what a whirlwind of a visit. Mom and Dad arrived on a rainy, cold Thursday. We took the train to a cool, cloudy Paris, explored the streets, climbed the Eiffel Tower, and ate really great Parisian food and wine. Quote of the trip was from Dad, "My self esteem goes up when I stop reading!" in response to his difficulty reading French words and our subsequent hysterically laughter...the kind where you get the ugly face because you can barely breathe because you are laughing so hard!

Then back home long enough to wash our clothes before venturing off through Switzerland and Lake Como. Switerland was breathtakingly beautiful, and Lake Como was top notch. Mom loved loved loved both the gelato and the views in the Lake Como area. We stayed at a slightly out-of-the-way small hotel with a great buffet breakfast and even better views of the wind-surfers who filled our end of the lake from 6-8 am and provided us with "interesting" views during breakfast...let's just say that mom and I enjoyed the views more than the boys :) Then, it was off to Rome but when we found Lucca and Tuscancy, our plans took a detour. The Tourist Information office booked us a night at an agriturismo (working Italian farm that hosts guests) and we drank wine from the barrel, picnicked by the pool on top of the hill overlooking vineyards, and slept in rustic but comfortable and quiet rooms. Ahhh....so relaxing. We jumped back in the car the next morning and headed to an Italian Riviera town called Sestri Levante. We walked on the pebbly beach, stuck our feet in the water, and climbed out on some massive rocks. Dad almost lost his shoe to the Med, but luckily rescued it no thanks to Mom and me laughing hysterically up the beach. We dined at a cute outdoor cafe where Dad learned that he liked Italian beer, that antipasta salad doesn't mean that you get lettuce, and that pizza comes at the very very end of the meal. We packed back in to the car and headed north. Our goal (okay, my goal) was to make it into southern Germany where our dollar went farther than in Switzerland to the south. Switzerland was breath-taking and Samantha's "time-saving" detour showed us the neat-as-a-pin Swiss villages filled with modern architecture at the foot of the most rugged and beautiful mountains I have yet to see. We took Rick Steve's advice yet again and headed for a Gasthaus (German Inn) in the reportedly charming town of Staufen in the black forest. Given Samantha's route through tiny towns in Switzerland, I didn't doubt her accuracy as we navigated swtichbacks and hair-pin turns through the black forest, until we arrived at the inn in Staufen only to find the owner smiling and telling us he had no rooms and that we were really looking for a different in with the same name in a town named Staufen, 70 km from our current location. So, at 8:00 PM, we drove on though more of the black forest to arrive at the second Staufen. Even though darkness was setting in, we were utterly delighted with the story-book flavor of the sweet town and even more so the kindness of the host who graciously kept the kitchen open well past closing to make sure we had plenty to eat. Our rooms were traditional and comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was the best I've ever had...coffee (free refills much to Dad's delight), eggs, yogurt, fresh berries, breads, jams, tomatoes, and more. After breakfast we waddled to the cobblestone streets for some shopping. Dad discovered a sports store and found a new love named Jack Wolfskin...don't be alarmed, Mr. Wolfskin is a very famous German outdoor store. Mom and I delighted in a super-cute thrift store where she got a fab pair of red leather sandals and I scored a black German bag. We met up with the boys who had joined in their own favorite activity...cafe sitting and coffee drinking. We reluctantly packed the car and headed to Baden Baden. Although it wasn't what I had pictured, we still enjoyed our time there and had a lovely lunch outdoors in the perfect weather. The traffic on the way home was not-so-perfect. Many hours and detours later, we arrived back in rainy Ramstein. We recovered the next day with a trip to the farmer's market and then more shopping in Ktown. Mom found great gifts for my sisters and Matt found a 700 euro bag, which he did not buy but dreamed about the rest of the day. We spent the remainder of the weekend working on the lawn (Mom and Dad doing most of the work), playing beanbags and cards.

It was an awesome trip filled with great food, laughter, and memories that will last our lifetime. I love you Mom and Dad!

We'll laugh about this...someday

Kelly: Here are the highlights (!) and low-lights (-) from our trip to the states
1. My luggage was lost on the way to San Antonio (-)
2. Matt's flight left Frankfurt on time (!)
3. Matt got stranded in Charlotte, NC on his way to BWI (-)
4. Matt made it in to BWI on the following day (!)
5. Matt had to wait at the airport for several hours while his parents dug out their driveway because they didn't think he would get in (-)
6. Matt's meetings went really well (!)
7. Matt picked me up at the airport and we ate at Edo (!)
8. We scored a kitchen table at Volt and had an incredible lunch (!)
9. We had a great time with my family and my adorable niece (who looked like a cutie patootie in the sweater that I gave her) (!)
10. We found out that my sister sold her house (!)
11. I had great conversations with both of my sisters (!) which made me miss being away from them (-)
12. My parents FINALLY cashed in their Christmas gift from years' past and purchased beautiful new flooring to cover their retro linoleum (!)
13. Our niece had a stomach virus (-)
14. We visited our old neighbors on the way back to Matt's parents (!)
15. I got sick during the 10 minutes we spent with our neighbors (-)
16. My adorable niece passed her virus to EVERY member of the family (-) How could someone so cute spread such a horrid virus???
17. I continued to get sick so we had to stop at a hotel for the night (-)
18. I was sick for 8 hours and Matt was sick for about 5 (-)
19. We still felt like death the next day and had to spend another night at the hotel to avoid passing the virus to Matt's parents (-)
20. We were stable enough to fly back on schedule (!)
21. We didn't get to spend any time with Matt's parents (-)
22. Matt and I had to take different flights back to Frankfurt (-)
23. Neither mine or Matt's video player or light worked on our respective flights (-)
24. Matt was very grumpy and yelled at me when he first saw me at the Frankfurt airport (-)
25. I had to go directly to work from the airport for two hellish days (-)
26. Our kitty was healthy and happy to see us (!)

What a trip!

We are happier to be back than we thought we would be. We realized many things on our trip and perhaps have a healthier outlook now.

We have arrived!

Kelly: The last 24 hours have been a roller coaster of emotions and experiences...saying goodbye to our favorite neighbors...hanging out with my parents and in-laws in our empty house while the new renter and the substitute real estate agent (who mixed up the days) did a pre-rental walk-though....watching Matt try to get xanax into our kitty's throat...saying goodbye to my parents at Dulles...going through security with the cat...the long, sleepless but professional and pleasant flight while Matt intermittently took the cat in her carrier into the oh-so-small bathroom for additional doses of anti-anxiety meds...breezing through customs without a glance at the hours and hours of pet paperwork...arriving at Ramstein to meet my supervisor for the first time...cramming our big bags and cat into my supervisor's beautiful Audi as she shuttled us around...trying to sign in to temporary housing at 10:00 only to find that we couldn't sign in until 2:00pm...trying to keep the cat calm while we grocery shopped with my new boss, ate lunch with my new boss, and received an introduction to housing in which we found out that our options would be "thin"...all on zero sleep.

Considering all of that, we're doing well. The weather was beautiful today, and the leaves covering the rolling hills (reminiscent of Western Maryland) are just beginning to change. When we were finally able to check in to our temporary housing, we were surprised that it isn't as hideous as we imagined. We can walk to the commissary and to wooded trails on base. Mialley seems to be adjusting fairly well. Matt took a short nap and is feeling a bit better. Tomorrow we will get our ID cards which will allow us to move freely on base, to establish bank accounts, to rent a car, etc.

We're in Germany!

Family Travels

Kelly: I just returned from a week of visiting family. I spent two days with my family before Matt joined me for a going away party at my parents' house. I truly enjoyed spending time with my sisters and adorable niece, and I don't think that I would've had this opportunity to spend such dedicated chunks of time with them if I weren't moving to a foreign country. Goodbyes are always tough, but saying goodbye to Ava and my grandpa were definitely the most difficult!

Matt and I then set out for Connecticut. We took a meandering, spontaneous route visiting Ithaca and several scary little towns in Connecticut (yes, I didn't know CT could be scary, but it can!). We had a so-so night (chain restaurant and interstate motel) in Waterbury and then spent the next day in New Haven. What a great time! We took advantage of the free cultural experiences and thoroughly enjoyed the Yale Art Gallery (from classic Monet to contemporary shovel hanging from the ceiling) and the Yale School of Architecture Green Building exhibit. Both were fabulous and the latter stoked Matt's desire to live in a prefab/green home. The serenity of the day came to a screeching halt with the arrival of our niece and nephews. It was a very busy evening of bracelet-making, book reading, and Wii-playing. Mark gave me flowers and Matt a drawing. Meghan gave me lavender scented dryer bags. Despite the hectic evening, it was great to see them, and it made our arrival at the healthy, eco-friendly Green Rocks Inn even sweeter. Set in a very nice area of CT, the quintessential cedar-shake sided home breathed relaxation. I soaked in a wonderful bath, we slept on a comfortable bed, and we chatted with the friendly hostesses. My only complaint was the limited gluten-free breakfast choices despite calling ahead and arranging gluten-free options. We left rejuvenated and ready to tackle the hours of traffic and calls to credit card companies that were ahead of us.

I had a great trip, but saying goodbye highlights how quickly our departure is approaching!