L-O-N-G time, no blog!

So it has been over 6 months since my last blog.  I've been a little bit busy!  I planned to keep blogging upon returning to the States, but life got in the way.  We are 6+ months into our new lives: new house, new jobs, new schools, etc. and things are just finally starting to settle down.  Here's a quick(ish) recap of our last 6 months.

July- CRAZINESS.  We lived with my mom for a month.  We searched for houses.  We put in 2 offers that fell through.  Jason went back to DE for 3 weeks.  I bought a house without him and spent more than we planned.  Oops.  I had migraines so bad I ended up in the ER.  Jason came back and we moved into a ghetto temporary apartment.

August- We moved into our new house.  We had it completely painted inside. We LOVE our new house and neighborhood.  We think we may have moved to Mayberry considering how nice the neighbors are and how many came over to welcome us with baked goods!  The kids made friends near our house quickly and we are lucky to have another bunch of Spartans near by. In the midst of moving into our house (în 3 different shipments), I also had to set up my new classroom.  I went back to work full-time for the first time in 8 years.  Of course, I was assigned to a grade I had never taught before.  August is a blur of unpacking boxes to me.

September- The kids and I started school right after Labor Day.  They adjusted quickly and really like their new school.  Me, not so much.  I felt like I could barely keep my head above water.  (I still feel that way most of the time.)  I missed Europe intensely. (I still do most of the time). We went to lots of MSU football games. I don't remember anything else.  It was that kind of month.

October-Work was still kicking my butt and I was still wishing to be back in Europe.  Kids were doing great, playing on soccer teams (oh yeah, we did that in September too), making friends.  Lainey turned 6 and I took her for a girls' weekend in Chicago with Erin.  We did the American Girl thing and I started to feel more happy about being back.  We met up with the Bennetts at the Chicago Oktoberfest on Navy Pier-that was fun:).  I came down with the chicken pox and was out of work for 4 days.  I think I kind of needed that break, but who gets chicken pox twice?? We went to many more MSU football games-even met up with the Fraijs for the OSU game.  That was a FUN weekend! I got back into running after gaining weight upon returning to the US, (It is SO easy to get fat here!  I forgot.) and Jason and I ran a 10K the day before Halloween.  We thoroughly enjoyed a real Halloween and trick-or-treating this year.

November- Just as I began to stop hating working full-time, it was report card and parent teacher conference time.  Ugh.  The worst time of the year for teachers.  I muddled through and don't remember much.  Our kids' conferences were great!  Both teachers had only good things to say about them.  Lainey started ballet lessons and we met a German family!  I really enjoy practicing my waning Deutsch with Katja and Lainey practices a bit with her girls. Thanksgiving was great.  I hosted 17 people (!) for dinner and went shopping all night afterward with Erin and friends.  I did miss Black Friday while living abroad.

December- Went to Indianapolis to watch MSU lose in the Big Ten tournament.  Still a fun adults-only weekend!   Lots of Christmas hoo-ha, including a weekend in KY with the whole Barnett clan.  Had a fun afternoon visiting with the Kuhls, Morrisons, and Lowes. Took a day off work to spend at the kids' Christmas parties and worked until the 23rd.  Ugh.  Had a small doses of Christmas spread over a few days, then went to Shanty Creek skiing for 3 days.  It was our first family vacation since returning home!  How unlike the last 3 years when we went somewhere every month.  Shanty Creek was fun, but there wasn't much snow and it was small considering MI doesn't really have mountains.  Still it was fun to pop on skis and swish away.  The slopes were a great size for the kiddos, even if saftey is not much of a concern there.  We were appalled at how many adults and kids were skiing without helmets and how unsafe the lifts seemed.  We were proven correct about the lifts as Aidan fell off one on the last night and were grateful he wears a helmet as the chair smacked him in the back of the head!  Luckily, the fall was short and the helmet protected his noggin.  He was pretty shaken up, but OK.

January- We had hoped to go to Cali to see MSU play in the Rose Bowl, but no luck.  So it was back to work and school for us all.  Jason started a new job which required more hours.  He had been able to help more with the kids, especially in the mornings, but not now.  So, just as I was feeling better about work (and getting a student teacher, thank the Lord), my responsibilities at home grew.  I was back to 95% in charge of the kids...only also working.  Without having a student teacher, I think I'd have sunk.  Aidan started playing flag football, so we did that every Sunday. We had hoped to do more skiing locally, but there's been no snow this winter.  That has been the one saving grace for me-a mild winter!

February- Jason's new job got busy so we couldn't get away for ski week.  The kids wanted to go back to Switzerland.  Ummm...sorry guys.  That is out of the question!  So,we just stayed home and Aidan had a fever both days he was off, poor guy.  Jason decided to start finishing the basement, even though we had planned to wait a few years before doing so.  He missed having projects to do when we lived in rentals.  Weirdo. We did at least make plans for another trip.  Over Easter break, we're going to FL to see Missy in Panama City then we'll drive down to St. Pete's to see our friends who just moved from England to Florida.  We are all really looking forward to that.

And now, here it is March.  Time flies when you are so busy.  Jason and the kids are happy and used to being back and are in the swing of things.  I am getting there.  I still miss our ex-pat life, but I'm happy to be back with family and friends and to have my own house to paint and decorate and not have to leave.  Lainey is still adjusting to that fact; she often asks how long we'll live here.  Fortunately, (or unfortunately depending on the day) I think we're staying put.  I am really hoping to stop longing for my life in Europe and begin to enjoy being back soon.  I'm getting there, but I still almost grieve for the easiness and experiences I had there.  Here it is work and stress and rushing around and gray weather and bills.  There it was travel and friends and saving money and time with the kids.  (Only Jason had stress there, poor guy never gets a break-but he handles it better!) I know I was spoiled for 3 years and that this is reality.  It was nice to be off the hamster wheel for a while, though!

I am looking forward to summer and having time to enjoy our new house and the kids again. Hopefully, I'll get to see some friends occasionally, and that Jason won't have to work crazy hours all summer.  I am hoping to teach 3rd grade again so that I can feel better prepared next year, but everything is up in the air in my school district thanks to all the governmental and economic changes.  That is certainly adding another layer of stress.  I really wish I'd have gone back half-time, but there just aren't many of those spots available.  I'm lucky to have a job in this state, I know.  My migraines have started up again...funny how I don't remember having any in the last 3 years...so I've  got to figure out how to not let it all get to me.  I'm thinking I need to start doing yoga!  Or maybe, I'll just start blogging again since I have always found writing to be a cathartic experience.

I think that sums everything up :)

New house day!!!

Tomorrow we get into our house!  I will see all the stuff from our storage unit that I haven't seen in 3 years...I wonder how much of it goes directly to the garage sale?

We won't officially move in until next week, after the whole house is painted (crossing fingers that goes smoothly and we like the finished product).  I am SO ready to get out of our "villa", as Delainey calls our temporary apartment.  I can't wait to get all our stuff back and settle in and just BE. 

Or at least BE for a few days...then the madness of school starts.  But that is another post all together!

Pictures coming soon!

Re-entry update

So the last 3 weeks have been tough.  Repatriating is harder than you'd think!  On all of us.  Even the one who is back living it up for a few last weeks in Germany again.

When we moved to Switzerland, we at least new where we'd be living.  Yes, everything else, including the language, was new, but we had a home base to unpack our stuff and call home.  Then we met the fabulous O'Brien family at our playground on the first day we lived in our apartment.  In the midst of half-opened boxes, we ran outside and met a boy Aidan's age and a girl Delainey's age and a mom my age!  Instantly, we had friends and a home to call our own.

When we moved to Germany, we again knew where we'd be living.  Jason had already moved most of the stuff in when the kids and I arrived.  We knew another family, the Starkeys, who lived in our neighborhood because they were with us in Zurich.  The kids went to summer camp at school the first week we lived there and made friends right away and got used to their new school.

This move was different.  Yes, we came back to familiar territory and our families.  But, there were so many unanswered questions.  Where would we live? What school will the kids go to? Who will their friends be?  Will they still get along with old friends?  Will Jason and I still get along with old friends?  What specific role will Jason have at work?  Where will I work? 

The kids don't really remember living in Michigan.  They remember some things and family, of course, but not much else.  Distance makes maintaining friendships much harder for kids than adults.  Our kids have changed-different interests since last we lived here and so on.  Their old friends have moved on to other schools or cities and have other friends.  We aren't planning to move back to the exact same place (which wouldn't much matter anyway since they were never in school in Michigan), so they'll have to make all new friends.  But the question of where  to make these new friends loomed. 

I couldn't tell them which school or even town we'd be living in, so I couldn't sign them up for a summer camp or sport camp.  Mommy and Daddy were all consumed with house hunting (which did not go well) and weren't around much. When we were around, we were STRESSED out.  Then Daddy had to go back to Germany for 3 long weeks.  The kids love PatTone and Mamaw and Papaw, but they need friends their own age to play with.  Luckily, they did have Jacob, Corinne and Quinn to play with often.  Lainey loves the time with them and Aidan had fun too, but Aidan still was wanting for an older boy to play soccer with.  Last week, Aidan was crying at bed time and told me that he wanted to just go home, but was sad that we didn't have a home of our own to go to.  PatTone's house is "grandma's house" and is home in many ways, but it doesn't have all our stuff in it and it isn't permanent. 

That's when Jason and I realized we had to make a serious committment to finding a house.  We upped the time spent looking and expanded our search area.  We put an offer in on one house.  It got beat by another bidder.  We compromised on a different one:  a nice house, but not exactly where we wanted to be and one that needed some work.  We offered on that one.  And didn't hear a response back.  So, Jason went back to Germany and I kept looking just in case we never heard from the second house.  The owners of the second house never did really respond, only kept dragging their feet in accepting or countering so I got fed up.  While waiting on their response, I found the PERFECT house for us!  Perfect except for price. 

Feeling defeated, I rescinded the offer on the second house 3 days after putting in the offer. We hadn't heard anything back from them anyway, so I figured it was a dead deal.  The seller's agent was not happy, but seriously after 3 days you don't respond?  You don't get to be upset.  It is over in my mind.

So, we decide to put in an offer on the PERFECT house.  We offer quite a bit less than asking.  We get an optimistic response almost immediately from the seller's agent.  The seller counters reasonably, we counter back at a place where both agents feel it is fair.  Then the seller refuses to come down anymore.  For want of $2,500 she refuses our final offer.  Our agent gets an email from the seller's agent saying "what a shame the deal fell through over such a small amount of money".  We stood firm and refused to go higher. 

I went looking again at houses.  I reconsidered those that I had originally discarded.  I didn't sleep.  I worried and fretted and finally made a decision.  We. Need. A. House.  I called Jason in Germany and we figured out that we'd  have to settle on a house in the right area, but one that we could fix up over time, and that we'd just have to pay whatever the sellers were asking.  So I went back to the agents office the day after our last deal fell through and began filling out yet another set of offer papers.  As I'm chatting with the agent, pondering the cost of re-doing the roof and kitchen and putting in new windows and, and, and...I say "oh I just wish the other lady would accept our offer!"

Then the phone rings.

Debby, our agent, hands me a pen to start signing the fourth set of offer papers, then answers her phone.  Then she takes the pen out of my hand as she sees who is calling on her caller ID.  It is the agent selling the PERFECT house.  The seller decided to come down and accept our offer.  We got the house!!

I couldn't believe it.  I called Jason and he was so relieved.  Finally we could start thinking of "home" again.  A home that would hopefully be ours for a long time, not just 1 or 2 years.  I took the kids through it and they also loved it.  We figured out which school they'd go to and drove by it.  We found the nearby parks. We realized that we knew a family who goes to the same school and had a playdate with them yesterday.  The kids all hit it off and now they'll have familiar faces on the first day of school. Things were looking up!

We had the inspection today and mostly things are fine, but there is one issue.  Luckily, the house is still under builder's warranty so hopefully they will fix the problem.  As long as that item is fixed the house will be ours by mid-August!

Keep your fingers crossed for us.  It has been a L-O-N-G three weeks.  It's felt like three months.  It is nice to finally have some semblance of stability.

Happy (Almost) 8th Birthday, Aidan!

My poor summer birthday boy always misses having a big friend party in July, so as in the last 2 years, we celebrated with his friends early.  Last Friday, Aidan invited 10 of his friends from school to a party at the Lego Store in Wiesbaden.  The boys had a great time building a soccer kicker and goalie out of Lego robotics and then using the computers to program them.  It was such a cool activity for these kids!

Programmers hard at work

Giant Lego man!

Aidan and his friend Connor

Aidan and his friend Nick

Present time!  Cool Frankfurt soccer jersey and, of course, Legos!

Sporting his new jersey, we took Aidan and the kids down the street to McDonald's for dinner and cake.  What a perfect birthday party for a soccer playing, hamburger loving, Lego Maniac!

Ma Petite Ballerina

A few weeks ago, Delainey had her second ballet recital at school.  She is so stinking cute, I just had to post these pics!

The Final Countdown

Time is running out!  We have only 5 more sleeps in Europe.  It is hard to believe that this awesome ride is coming to an end.  We are really excited to get back to see all of our friends and family and to get the kids some stablity, but I won't lie and say I haven't enjoyed every minute of these 3 years living abroad. 

Even amidst the mayhem of packing, unpacking, physically uprooting ourselves, making new friends, learning our way around new places, learning a new language, and everything, it has been worth it.  We are not returning the same people we left as.  We have each grown in our own ways.

 Lainey was still a baby, fresh out of diapers, when we left Michigan.  Now she's a big girl, nearly 6 years old who can ride a 2-wheeler, write her name, read a few words, speak some German/French/Italian, and has the confidence and sass of a child twice her age.  She speaks with a British accent and thinks that it is totally normal to go to Italy or France for a long weekend.  She doesn't remember having a mom who works, and thinks it completely natural to hear 4 languages (or more) spoken by her classmates.  She is a worldly little girl with friends on 3 continents. She looks forward to going to Olga's for lunch next week like some kids look forward to Disney World...it's all about wanting the things you can't have, right?  She will be 14 months older than some of the kids in her Kindergarten class, but will have to catch up to those younger kids in their knowledge of cartoons on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. 

Aidan is no little boy anymore.  He is a mini-man.  He speaks German nearly as well as I do.  He is finishing 2nd grade doing 4th grade math.  He is comfortably being the only non-German on his soccer team.  He made his First Reconciliation and First Communion. He says he thinks it will be "weird" to see everything written in English, but is nervous to make friends in another new school.  He can't fathom having more than 17 kids in his class, but hopes that means more possible friends.  He wishes England was closer to Michigan so that he and William can visit more often.  He is concerned about riding a school bus without a buckle.  He has learned to make friends, leave friends behind, and have friends leave him behind.  He thinks most people move every 2-3 years, but hopes to find a friend that he won't have to leave or be left behind by.

Jason has made such strides in his career.  He has jumped a bunch of rungs on the corporate ladder that he couldn't have in Detroit.  His name and face and work is known by executives here, where in Detroit in was (and may be again) one of the drones. He has worked amazingly hard and done great things at work and it is nice to be in a smaller group where the higher ups notice and acknowledge that.  As much as he works, he still finds lots of time to be with the kids on the weekends, take them to school, be at soccer practice, go to ballet recitals, etc. He has learned to navigate roads in over 10 countries, speak a bit of lots of languages, and to be a real support to me since we don't have grandmas near by to call on in a pinch.

I think I may have changed the most though.  I speak German quite fluently.  I haven't worked in 3 years, and am scared that I have forgotten how to teach and how to balance work and family.  I have learned to eat new foods, how to stand on my own 2 feet more than I ever did before, how to navigate roads (even with a stick shift) and public transportation in lots of places.  I've become a published (albiet unpaid) writer.  I've run a 10K.  Like the kids, I have friends on 3 continents.  I have become better aware of the world and it's issues. 

I think that I am more worried about fitting back in at home than I was about fitting in in Switzerland when we first moved.  I want us to meld back in, but also don't want to lose some of the cool things we've learned or forget friends or memories of our time here.  Re-entry is going to be a big tricky, and I really hope we don't sound like the girl in American Pie who always talked about "this one time at band camp".  We will try really hard not to start every sentence with "this one time in Switzerland/Germany", but please forgive us if we do occasionally mention something about our time here, because it has been more than just a vacation, our experiences here have been our lives and have become a part of us.

As much as I'm looking forward to getting back to normalcy and stability and, yes, shopping and eating at our favorite restaurants, I'm savouring these last few days of semi-retirement by having lunch with friends and spending lots of time with the kids at school. That being said, I also kind of wish this week were already over and we were already on US soil, as the good-byes are hard and moving process even harder.  Here's hoping for a very calm and uneventful, non-teary week and one that ends with us all, especially Cinnamon, back in the USA!  We can't wait to see everyone as soon as possible!

Thanks GM for giving us the gift of this opportunity. 

The best way to sum up how I feel about the last 3 years is found in the song "The Good Life" by One Republic.  I think of it as my theme song right now!  Just change a few city names, and it's pretty accurate!  (Trips to IKEA or sitting in the dark right now because we've sold all of our lights, being the BS part) Here are the lyrics:


Woke up in London yesterday

Found myself in the city near Piccadilly

Don't really know how I got here

I got some pictures on my phone



New names and numbers that I don't know

Address to places like Abbey Road

Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want

We're young enough to say



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



[Verse 2]



To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado



Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about



[Bridge 1]



When you're happy like a fool

Let it take you over

When everything is out

You gotta take it in



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

A good good life Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



[Bridge 2]



Hopelessly

I feel like there might be something that I'll miss

Hopelessly

I feel like the window closes oh so quick

Hopelessly

I'm taking a mental picture of you now

'Cuz hopelessly

The hope is we have so much to feel good about



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado



Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about

Under the Tuscan Sun

Our last "hurrah" vacation, was to probably the most obvious destination in Europe: Tuscany.  On our 8th (!) trip to Italy, we figured it was time to do it up right.  And, this time, finally, I fell in love with Italy.

Tuscany is the part of Italy to see.  It is not dirty, over crowded, or too  touristy.  It is relaxing, and peaceful, and beautiful.  Even Pisa wasn't bad.  Although you do have the souvenir stands, they are set away from the actual tower and not so in-your-face as they are in Rome or Venice.

We started out with 3 nights by the beach near Pisa.  We extended the German long-weekend by tagging this part on, per Jason's request. We relaxed at the beach and took the kids to see the tower.  Jason and Aidan climbed it!  When Jason and I were here the last time (in High School) it was closed for renovation.  Lainey was too young, so she and I just played with the pigeons. The boys loved the tilted climb!

After Pisa, we headed for San Gimignano, about an hour further into the Tuscan countryside.  We rented a villa near there with 2 other families.  Here is our first glimpse of San Gi.

 

San Gi is a gorgeous mid evil hill town.  It is known as the "Manhattan of Tuscany" because of it's skyline of bell towers. We enjoyed wandering the town, shopping and eating yummy gelato!

 We checked into our villa Wed afternoon and jumped right into the pool! We didn't even want to leave for dinner the first night, so we made our own Tuscan feast and ate on the terrace!

 We spent the first half of each day at our pool.  It's a hard life, we know!

 After a rough day by the pool, we'd shower up and go into some cute town to wine tastings or shop or eat more gelato.  Then we all met back up for dinner.  Here I am with my friends, Monica and Tricia, toasting to what may be the best dinner I ever ate

Besides the super good pastas, we all devoured Florentine T-Bones!  How about 3 pounds of meat!!

One of the coolest things we did is visit Bran Caia vineyard.  The reason it was so cool is that we know the owner!  Our upstairs neighbor in Switzerland owns this vineyard!  The apartment in Zollikerberg is just his Swiss "crash pad" for when he's there on business, which is often.  Unfortunately, Martin was not at the vineyard this weekend, but his employee gave us a great tour and let us taste tons  of wine, even some of their 50€ a bottle wine! 

Here we are among the vines and in the tasting room

After Bran Caia, we went to another great restaurant.  You have to give it to the Tuscans...they know how to cook (and eat!).  Lainey loved her gnocchi!

The men enjoyed the Limoncello :)

We had such a relaxing and indulgent long weekend at the villa.  We thought about becoming squatters and refusing to leave!  Unfortunately, we made the honest decision and left Sunday morning. Then we spent 15 hours driving home to Germany.  It should have only taken 9 hours, but thanks to winding 2 lane roads, tunnels, and all of Europe having a long weekend, Switzerland was a big parking lot. At least we had nice scenery and the kids and dog were good! 

All 3 of them slept a good part of the way.

We saw this sign A LOT as we inched our way home.  But, Tuscany was worth the drive!