To Berlin!!!

I've been wanting to go on a trip since we got to Germany almost 5 months ago. I can't believe it's already been 5 months! Things were so busy with getting settled and acquainted with our new home we just haven't had much time. We had to focus on getting our family back together.. (i.e. my baby girls home with their momma). My mom came for a quick visit in November and we visited Garmisch. We made it to the top of Zugspitz and spent an afternoon in the snow. It was wonderful, but it left me wanting more. I begged John to plan a trip for us during Christmas break. He pulled through and booked us a hotel in Berlin for 3 nights! It was a fabulous "short trip". We brought the dogs with us to save on kenneling them. That probably won't be happening again ;).

The trip from our home was just about 4 hours. We stayed in the Holiday Inn Express. It was about 70 euro per night, but they also charged 18 euro for parking per day. And if you bring your pets, it is an additional 11 euro per day. The rooms were very small, but clean and the beds were comfortable. I do wish I had brought my own pillows! There was a small sofa in the room that pulled out into a bed for Aidan, and during the day we folded that up to make room for the doggie Kennel. We take it everywhere we bring the dogs just in case there are any mishaps.



We got a late start and arrived in Berlin around 5pm. So it was already dark. But wonderful for me since I am obsessed with capturing architecture at night. I love how romantic the lighted buildings become after sunset. Our first stop was the famous Christmas Market at Gendarmenmarkt. We were told that there are about 80 Christmas markets just in Berlin, but this one was supposed to be the best. Even had to pay 1 euro each upon entering. The lights were beautiful and the atmosphere was cheerful. Angels on stilts floated through the crowds, and people gathered at the fountain to watch comical skits. We were adventurous and tried new food too! Even Aidan enjoyed it!



Next we got in the car and drove around the city. Berlin is pretty big but not incredibly hard to navigate by GPS. Parking on the other hand... HA! After driving for what seemed to be more than an hour, we finally found a spot along the road and planned to walk for the rest of the evening. We first walked about half a mile to the Brandenburger Tor (the gate into Berlin).



Right around the corner and down a block was the Reichstag (Berlin parliament building).



On the way back to the car we stopped along the road to take pictures of the lighted trees down the way. What a beautiful city during Christmas!



The following day, I gave John all freedom in choosing what he wanted to see. He plotted our route and realized our hotel building was only about half a mile to Checkpoint Charlie! So we did some more walking! Aidan had his photo made with the guards at the checkpoint, and then we proceeded into the museum on the corner.



I am not one to enjoy reading about history... but John is... and he was swallowed by it. We spent almost 2 hours in that museum. We learned a lot about the Wall, and about the people trying to escape from it. I must say... there were some interesting photographs to see! After the museum, we walked to find the actual Wall still standing. Not just a piece of it... a long stretch of it. It was located right outside the Topography of Terror. There I stopped to take a rest on a bench while John did some more reading ;).



We had plans to meet up with John's Aunt's Friends... so we headed back to the hotel for a quick dog walk and waited for their call. They met us at the hotel and walked with us to the subway. The subway was extremely easy to use! We had plans to take a tour bus the following day, but decided the subway was cheaper and easier! The tour buses were around 20 euro per person, less for children. But the subway was only 15 euro for all 3 of us to ride all day!!! Of course, the tour buses have guides and english speakers, so if that's what you're looking for, it may be worth your while. Our new German friends showed us around the city. We walked to see Museum Island, and the Berliner Dom.



They also showed us a wonderful little shopping area. They brought us to the cutest little shop called AmpelMann. In Germany the walking lights have cute little man symbols for stop and walk.



This shop was built around the idea of that symbol which is called the AmpelMann. It was such a nice experience to see something your every day tourist probably wouldn't see.



After that, they took us to an awesome brewery for dinner. It was right on the corner across from the Gendarmenmarkt. A fabulous meal, and very inexpensive. And the beer was quite tasty ;).



On our last day, we experienced the subway ALONE! John did wonderful navigating the system and took us to Potsdamer Platz where Aidan rode a tube down a man made snow slope.



While there, we also saw another Christmas market. Down the street a little ways was a Cinema that had movies playing in ENGLISH!!! Good to know... but not enough time to stop. Christmas themed statues made from Lego's filled the core and Aidan stopped for photos at each of them.



Back on the subway we went to find Alexander Platz! There we perused 2 more Christmas markets and Aidan spent an hour ice skating around a fountain.



We also checked out the Berlin 360 tower. We went in to see how much the tickets were to get to the top, but decided to save it for next time. If you go to the top of the tower you can see all of Berlin. I want to say the tickets to the top were around 15 euro per person, but don't quote me on that.



Then back on the subway we went to head back to the hotel before dinner with our German friends. They invited us over to their house and we enjoyed talking and drinking schnapps! What a lovely family they were!

I loved visiting Berlin, and have definite plans to go back again (with better walking shoes)! There is so much to see, our 3 days did not do it justice. To see more photos from our trip... check out my Facebook album: BERLIN

Expectations...

From the moment we became parents, we knew we wanted more. We wanted to have at least two children close in age so they could grow up together. So they could "share" childhood memories. John and I both had that. I have 3 younger brothers and he has 2 younger brothers. It hasn't really worked out the way we'd planned. We do love being able to give Aidan everything a little boy could want. Spoiling him to his hearts content. But he's growing up. He's 12! I can't believe I can say I have a 12 year old. Where did the time go? Just yesterday I picked up my little 4 pound baby and kissed him on his cheek. Now.. he is almost as tall as me and moving on to high school. Next time I turn around, he will be off to College!

We have been trying probably about as long as Aidan has been around. I mean... John hasn't been home with us the entire 12 years. He was in Korea for most of the first year after Aidan was born, and then several deployments after that. I remember the moment when we realized it wasn't going to be an easy task. John came home for his first deployment in Iraq. Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant. We were thrilled. But it just wasn't meant to be. It was an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured, resulting in the removal of one of my tubes. The doctors told me it was still possible to conceive another child and that I should not give up. We discussed fertility treatments, but in the states it all seemed so scary and "expensive". But people told me Germany had great clinics and high success rates. It was always a plan to use his Army career to our benefit and make use of the amazing travel opportunities. So we sat still in Clarksville, TN and waited for our chance. I'm not saying we came to Germany just to make a baby... but it was definitely on the pro side of our list.

Now that we're here, I am ready to readdress the whole baby issue. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get the ball rolling, but I met this girl who was planning on doing the same thing. I took it as a sign. She pushed me to make my appointment and I did. John and I went in to see Dr. V a couple of days ago. I'm not sure exactly what I expected. I kind of knew what he was going to say, but in my heart I was hoping he would give me an easy answer. Germans are very straight to the point. I like that. But I am a sensitive person. I cry for no reason. I make mountains out of mole hills. I go into little bouts of paranoia. I stress over stupid little details. This is me... and I wonder where Aidan gets it from.

Anyway. Dr V told us basically what we already knew. He said we were wasting time. 12 years is too long to be trying for a baby. He gave us 2 options. 1. "The long route" (lots of testings on every little aspect of each of us to find the answer to our sterility). or 2. Jump right into In Vitro Fertilization. Not to say #2 is going to work right away or even work at all. But he suggested that this was our best option. I was not ready to give up on the long route so quickly. After all... Tricare covers most of the things that were involved in that, but they DO NOT cover IVF. Although... it is cheaper here than it is in the states. John and I went home and discussed more. We decided that we are not getting any younger. And we decided that we really don't have much more time to do "the long route". We have been saving for a couple of years so financially we can do it. But it is going to be awful if at least one of those little embryo's doesn't stick!

I emailed Dr. V and told him what we wanted to do and he is having me come in and start the tests and drugs and all that in January. But actually do the IVF in February. I am confused on what all goes into this, but I have a month to google my eyeballs off. John keeps teasing that he wants twins. I could be happy with that. But it's hard enough making one right now, I have no expectations of making more. Only time will tell :).

PCS'ing to Germany (Part 6/ Communication)...

Will I be able to call you? Can you call me? Of course! It's not as hard as you may think to communicate across countries. Germany isn't on some other planet without definite signs of life or technology. We do have phones... we do have internet. It's just like it is in the US. Our internet connection is a little slow since we live in a very small village further away from everything, but we get great connection for the first 10 days of the month and I am always able to chat or send messages through the ever so faithful FACEBOOK!

Our cell phones however, were not transferable from the US to Germany. As long as both the soldiers name and spouses name are on your orders, AT&T will cancel your current plan without a fee (I'm not sure about other US plans... but I'm sure it should be the same). We had to purchase new ones here in Germany. But on base we have a small TKS phone office (T-mobile). First you may want to find out what service all of your friends and co-workers use. There is another service called Vodafone, but most of the people we speak to use T-mobile... so you get to talk for free (mobile to mobile). If you choose the wrong provider, you may end up having to pay to call some of your friends if they don't have the same one :( . We were able to set up our service the day after we arrived. John got a small plan for 29 euro that did not include much data. But for me, I need to check emails for my business so mine was around 59 euro. We got our phones with our plan for only 1 euro. And yes... they do offer IPHONES!!!! I wanted to use my iphone, but you have to find out how to unlock it and I just don't feel like finding out how to do that. I hear it's a pain in the butt.

For our home phone, we added an unlimited long distance option for only 5 euro! So I can call any of my friends and family back in the US and not have to worry about long distance charges. Sweet right? Easy Peasy! The only set back is the time difference, but once you figure out what works for everyone... you are good to go!!!!

Can my US friends and family call me? Not without a fee :(. BUT... a couple of my Germany friends have Vonage. From what I understand, they have it set up so they have a local US number. So their US friends and family can call them without the extra fees. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but it might be something to look into if you plan on receiving a lot of stateside calls. I am on FB alot checking for messages from clients and things... so if anything my people just ping me real quick and tell me to call them. It works for me :)

PCS'ing to Germany (Part 5/ Finding a House)...

I love this one :). I did tons of research before I got here looking for living arrangements. Quite honestly... none of that research needed to be done. People told me to hire a real estate agent, but there really wasn't a point (especially when there was an extra fee involved). I also searched far and wide on all the Classified websites. I found a few that were adorable, but you really can't KNOW until you get here.

Anyways... we had an incredible sponsor. Probably the best. I keep hearing bad reviews about sponsors, but Jason was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! He really prepared us and put us on the right track to what needed to get done. The day after we arrived here in Germany, he drove around with us looking at available houses. We were told to do a search on AHRN.com to see what our options were. We printed off several homes that met our requirements and we were off! There was one house that stood out to me on our drivebys. It was the one I had my heart set on. I hadn't even seen the inside yet... but it was PERFECT for our family. Just PERFECT! It was a little out of our price range, but we figured out that we could make it work with what we were alloted for OHA and our utility supplement. Seriously... the army pays you EXTRA for utilities in Germany???? How easy!!

On Monday morning I went to the housing office and they gave me the letter of exception to allow us to live off post. But they would only allow us to make appointments to view 2 homes. I immediately told them I wanted to see this ONE. And we were off again. We went to the second one first but it did not make me happy one bit. Next we landed at our cute little cottage... the one I had my heart set on. The landlord was friendly and even made an exception to their pet policy. We smiled every time we entered a new room. I felt at home. We had to have it. And we did. We signed for it 2 days later and it was ours.

I am still in love with it. We have a yard! A garden! A 2 car garage! And no backyard neighbors... just open fields. I keep begging them to let us stay here longer than 3 years... but we will see where life takes us when the time is right. Until then, I am happy in my little corner of the world :)

PCS'ing to Germany (Part 3B/Pets)...

I got distracted and have not written in nearly 3 months! It has been a busy 3 months. Arriving in Germany, getting settled in our new home, setting up my business, and learning the lay of the land. I don't think it's possible to explain everything that has happened in those 3 months. We love our new house, we love Germany, and to top it off... Our doggies came home! All that fuss about getting them shipped over here and it was kind of easy! When we left, it was the middle of summer. Most of the airlines told us they were not allowed to ship pets at the moment because the temperatures were too high and it would be dangerous for the animals. So we left them with our parents. We are forever grateful to them for caring for our babies for 3 months. The paperwork was ridiculous. The shots were all updated, but they needed the forms to be signed in BLUE ink. What is the difference right?? Then they had to get a health certificate within 10 days... and have a raised stamp. Mom's vet didn't have a stamp so she had to drive 2 hours away to get that. Well guess what... all that leg work and the airport didn't even ask for the paperwork! I was a little surprised when I've heard customs horrer stories about dogs being shipped BACK to the states for not having some miniscule piece of information. Oh well... it is done... they are home, and I am enjoying a nice relaxing visit with my mom :).

If anyone ever runs into issues shipping pets... just know that it is cheaper to ship them ACCOMPANIED! Sending them unaccompanied was going to cost us over $3000! But with my mom, we just paid for her ticket (maybe $800 with taxes)... and then another $200 per crate when she arrived at the airport and checked the dogs in. Much cheaper, and if you get the ticket early enough... it will be even lower!

The point is.... My babies are home!

Are we there yet???

I feel like we've been driving for ages.  So far we've driven to and from Alabama (7 hrs each way), to Arizona (26 hours), to El Paso (8 hours),  to Austin (9 hours) then back to Clarksville (13 hours), then to and from St. Louis (4 hours each way).

John had some training at Fort Rucker, so Aidan and I tagged along to get a little beach time in.  I brought my mom down also and we visited Destin, FL.  It rained almost the entire time we were there, but we still managed to make a good time of it!  

Next we drove back to c-ville so John could finish clearing and ship off the rest of our things.  We sent Aidan and Gma off on a plane back to AZ so we would have room in the car for the fur babies.  

John and I loaded up the Cadillac with all four of our pets and drove all the way to Az.  We spent 3 days with my family getting Bailey and Kahlua all settled in at their new home.  I miss them incredibly, but know they will be well cared for and probably even more spoiled when I get them back!  It was a nice relaxing visit.

On our way to Austin, we stopped for a night in El Paso to have a quick visit with gma and gpa Kimball.  We also got to see Johns aunts and uncles.  It was a nice little visit.  Gma stuffed us like little piggies!

In Austin we saw Nana and dropped off the kitties to their new home.  Aidan is going to miss those fur balls, but we know they will also be well taken care of until we can get them back.  We also met our beautiful new niece and visited with the rest of the Armstrong family.

In St. Louis we dropped off our Cadillac to be shipped over the pond, but decided to stay an extra day to take Aidan to Six flags for part of his birthday celebrations!  It was hot, but soo worth it!  He had a blast!  

And now we are headed back to Clarksville to finish up a few last details before we ship ourselves over to Germany.  Only a few more days but it seems like we have been in transition forever!!!!
 

Limbo...

The house has been packed into crates and sent to the ships. Every wall, every baseboard painted fresh. Every fingerprint, every noticeable sign of life erased from what we knew as our HOME in Clarksville. Well... what Aidan and I knew as home. John didn't spend much time in that house, but I had a hard time letting go. The weeks leading up to the goodbye were incredibly emotional for me. I cried as I watched the movers box our things, and I cried the morning my boys left me alone in that house. I stayed another 2 days alone there. I think it was good for me. I was able to reflect on what I had there and also dream about what we have to come. And now we wait... in this strange sort of Limbo. We don't have a home to call our own. We will bounce around from hotel to hotel for the next 2 months. Already 2 weeks into our hotel stay and I am going stir crazy! We had a little trip to the beach this weekend and I couldn't get enough. I am happy for the friends I've made in all of these places. I'll always have someone to come back to. I don't have anymore moving tips right now. Most of our plans fell through. Our pets will no longer be joining us in Germany as we had hoped. I will continue to try to get my babies to me, but for now our parents have so graciously offered to care for them until we can make further arrangements. Now we will take it one day at a time and try to enjoy the summer :)

Here is a photo of my boys at our favorite beach... Destin, FL!