We're here!

We are here in Germany at last! I am so glad the trip is over! No more worries or stress!

I must say it was the longest trip EVER! I thought it was never going to end. It was a rough plane ride. But then again, who ever has a smooth international plane ride? I think we all get no sleep, numb rears, and a serious case of jet lag.

Miles did great though! He was back on a normal schedule the next day. Brad and I are still struggling with going to bed at what used to be 2pm. 

Some interesting things we have discovered so far are:

-It takes 30 minutes to microwave macaroni

-The Germans generally don't have more than 1 child

-They all have dogs instead and they bring their dogs everywhere you can imagine

-Not kid friendly. No changing tables, high chairs, ramps for strollers

-You have to pay 30 Euro cents to go to the bathroom (an awkward experience)

-No ice in your drinks

-Everything is much smaller such as TV's, cars, beds, roads, refrigerators. (They haven't caught on to the bigger is better in America)

 -Gas is 1.50 Euro a liter which translates to $8.00 a gallon! No thanks!

-and finally, this is a bit obvious but ALL THE CARS ARE GERMAN! (At least here in Stuttgart) In America we are used to so much variety but here it's BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or VW! Anything else is rare.

Will close with this:

Every day either Brad or I ask what we call "the stupid question of the day. With everything being so new sometimes you just don't think. Today's "stupid question of the day" is...

"Do they still go by minutes/hours here?" and this was referring to microwaving of mac and cheese.

Last night in the USA

Well, tonight is our last night here in the good ol' USA. I wanted to get a picture of us and our huge pile of luggage but it didn't seem to work out that way. We are here in Detroit staying at a hotel that's actually inside the airport. It's great how it worked out because we are less than 200 ft away from our gate that we board tomorrow! How convenient!
Our phones have been permanently shut off, bags packed and we are ready to go. Brad and I keep talking about how we feel and it's so crazy because one minute we are so excited and the next we are almost in tears. Hopefully all emotions will settle once we get there and get settled.

Well, I guess this is my last blog from the USA. We leave tomorrow night at 9:30. Oh how I pray that Miles will sleep through the flight!

First boat ride.

We took Miles out on his fist boat ride today. That was a trip! We squished 25 pounds of baby into a tiny life jacket. He couldn't even sit up after it was on and his arms stuck out like he was wearing an invisible marshmallow jacket. After we got into the boat my dad pushed us off and slipped and fell backwards. Poor guy. He was covered in mud.
Then we went about 5 feet before the engine gave out. It sounded like we were going down the highway in first gear. Oh well! At least we tried!

Michigan part II.

Well, we only have a few days left up here. It's really been a blast and so relaxing! I forgot how fun it can be when you're not pregnant or don't have a deployed husband! Here are some more pics!



This is Miles' great grandma. It was sweet watching them interact.
The beach was freezing! Who ever thought it would only be 50 degrees in June. So, Miles and I hid away in the tent. (Rachel and Adam's tent I should add. That thing was a life savor! Thanks guys! :) )
Going on one of many walks. This is the most exercise I've had in a year!
Waiting for our nocturnal creatures to arrive. Brad and I ended up feeding 2 raccoons and one jumped in my lap! That was a thriller. Whew!
My dad taught Brad how to use a motor boat. He had been begging me all week to go in the canoe with the new motor (actually probably like 20 year old motor) attached. As you can see I brought ores. I wasn't going to risk it. :) 
Babies! Babies! Babies! I love being up here this time of year because all the animals have their furry little ones following behind. So cute.
Dad wanted to make a new outlet from Bass lake to Lake Michigan. So the guys are working hard.

Michigan

We're here in MI! It's beautiful! So lush and total opposite of the dry California land. It hasn't even been a day yet but here are a couple pics so far.

Last night

Tonight is our last night in 544-B Howard Ln. Why I am not packing now, I don't know. I suppose I am procrastinating because it makes me sad to see such an empty house. We've had many memories here even though it's been only 6 months. Lots of firsts with Miles I guess.
It will be a fun flight on Wednesday! Two cats, a baby and endless luggage. But, if you are familiar with our history you would know we have mastered this task many times!

Our living room this evening.

Hello! Again...

Well, it's a been a while. Now that we are moving to Germany in 3 weeks I've decided to be more dedicated and keep this thing active and updated. 

Oh yah, did I mention we are moving to Germany in 3weeks? Our orders got bumped up, WAY up. So we are sad that we won't be going to MI while the family is up there. We were really looking forward to that. Oh well, always next year I guess.

Besides our big move approaching, the last couple months have been pretty quiet. Miles can sit up now, upgraded to the "big" bathtub, and he got his first little tooth! I don't know why but it is so sad to me that he has a tooth! Maybe I secretly wanted him to have his baby gummy smile forever. I wish I could take him to never-never land and let him be my baby forever!

We have been in the process of selling all of our major equipment that we can't use in Germany partially due to the Euro/American outlets. So far we have sold our treadmill (I got to use that a whopping 2 weeks), washer and dryer, and computer. We are still trying to sell our Jeep but time is running short...very short. 

Brad's birthday is this Thursday. He LOVES the show 'The Office' so if you follow the show you will get a chuckle out of these gifts. We got him a "World's Best Boss" coffee mug, "Shrute Farms Beets" t-shirt, and "That's what she said" t-shirt.  I'm sure he'll be tickled. 

That's about it for now!