The countdown is on ...

I'm working on getting our cruise pictures posted, but there are so many of them! We had an absolute blast. All of our stops were beautiful, and, with the exception of one day, the weather was fantastic.

We decided to cancel our trip to Normandy this weekend. I'm pretty sad about it, but it was a lot of money, and we decided to be responsible ... for once. We are at our 60-day point for returning stateside, so it's in our best interest to put aside all the money that we can - in case our plan doesn't work like we are hoping. It was a really, really expensive trip - as amazing as it would have been ... it just wasn't smart. Normandy was one of my big bucket list places, so we're definitely coming back at some point in our lives! We still have Spain to look forward to in December, so not all is lost! I got a ridiculously good deal on the Spain trip, so no cancellation there :)

Vic has all of his paperwork ready, and he should get his orders by the end of next week. Orders are the key to getting us out of here ... once we have those we can get our household goods packed up, and get a flight booked. I think I get more nervous by the day about this whole transition ... we seem to think of new things every day that we are going to need once we get home. I keep telling myself that it can't be any worse than moving to Germany 34-weeks pregnant!!

Also, our house phone is broken ... kaput as the Germans would say. Obviously we aren't going to buy a new one for 60-days, so no more phones call from us :(

Anyway, back to sorting through the cruise pictures!

Amsterdam

We are headed home from our trip to Amsterdam, and we had such a fun experience. We rented a car and made the six-hour drive quite easily. We ran into a little traffic once we got into the Netherlands, but we arrived at our hotel with enough time to head downtown, grab some dinner and look around. Our hotel was great - a bit outside the city-center, but it was clean and quiet.

We walked around for a bit in search of the perfect spot for dinner. We wanted something traditionally Dutch, and settled for a cute little pub. Vic ordered croquettes - which look like mozzarella cheese sticks, but are filled with gravy and meat. The waitress talked me into, hutspot, a mashed potato and meatball mix. It didn't sound appealing, but she swore that I would like it. Both meals were really good, and we washed them down with a couple pints of beer! Elliott stuck to his typical French fries, and the waitress kept sneaking him cookies.

There happened to be a fair going on, so we decided to hang out there, and keep the sightseeing for the next day. Elliott had a blast riding rides, and we found some amazing treats.

One of the many penis-shaped items we saw in our two days. Seriously, there were penises everywhere.

These were waffles covered in powdered sugar, whipped cream and strawberries. Vic has, very much, been missing American funnel cakes, and these did everything to beat his craving. He is still talking about how good they were.

We headed back in order to get a good night of sleep because we were planning on a very full day of sightseeing.

We had our second day pretty much planned out. We knew we wanted to tour the Heineken factory, and we wanted to do it early since we were dragging along a child. We actually ended up being one of the first people there when they opened the doors. The tour was really neat, and Elliott, actually, enjoyed himself. It was very interactive and self-guided ... and there was free beer, so everyone had a good time.

He had so much fun ...

Dancing in the "club" ...

Awesome light display ...

After the tour, we headed to a cute little brownstone restaurant right across the street. Vic ordered some more croquettes and I enjoyed some sort of strange ham sandwich. 

We jumped back onto the tram - in the search for Ann Frank's house. The public transportation in Amsterdam was too easy - it definitely ranks in the top few of the cities we have visited. Amsterdam does rank in the bottom as far as public restrooms. There was no bathroom access - unless you were a customer of an establishment. Even the train station didn't have public bathrooms. This certainly complicated things while toting around a two-year-old who has to pee every hour. They did have these caged in urinals for men to pee on the street, but we weren't brave enough to risk the germs in one of those. I really wish I would have taken a picture of one!

Even their statues are penis-shaped ...

Tickets to the Ann Frank house were sold out online, and the line to buy them at the actual museum wrapped around the block. I would have loved to tour the inside, but standing in line for hours with Elliott was just not going to happen. We settled for some photos outside and enjoyed some pretty views from the bank of the water across the street. I loved all the canals and boats.

Everyone told us that we had to, at least, walk through the Red Light District, and Elliott was napping, so it was the perfect opportunity. Obviously the prostitution was not in full-swing during the daylight, but it did not stop the marijuana smoking! It was pretty funny to see people sitting outside, enjoying their lunch, and smoking a big ol' joint ... haha. I was really expecting people to be acting crazy, but we only saw one guy who had, clearly, over-indulged on the drugs.

A "coffee shop" ;)

Drinking a beer in the red-light district. So fun to people watch ...

Amazing treats ... probably very much enjoyed by people who just smoked a whole bunch of weed ...

The city is very open a free about their tolerance of sex and drugs. You, literally, see drug and sex paraphernalia EVERYWHERE! The people were all so nice and laid-back though ... which makes sense to me!

Seriously, penises in a cute little pottery store ...

Penis street barricades ...

We spent the rest of our day just walking around and enjoying the atmosphere. We choose an Argentinian steakhouse for dinner, and it did not disappoint.

We headed back to the fair after dinner - mostly so Elliott could enjoy himself, and for more dessert. I tried the waffle creation again - this time I got it smothered in chocolate sauce. Oh my gosh ... so amazing.

He picked the tank again ...

Vic saw a great opportunity to win Elliott a prize, and, of course, he succeeded. There was a younger guy standing nearby (the guy in the right of the picture below) who was watching Vic in amazement. He couldn't believe that he had hit 12 straight targets. He went up to Vic to congratulate him and said, "yo man, are you a cop?" Haha ... he was so impressed. 

That was the end of our Amsterdam adventure. We headed back to the train station and made the trek back to our hotel.

Like always, I wish we had a few more days in this city. If we had more time here - it would definitely be a place we returned to. We have one more free weekend and then we're off on our week-long cruise!!

  

Cooties.

I wish I had more time to update this thing! Elliott woke up today with a little stomach virus, and I jumped at the opportunity to stay home for the day with hi. As much as I love that he has so much fun at daycare - I miss hanging out with him ... and, let's face it, I didn't want to go to work either.

Elliott was spoiled rotten with care packages last week from Nana Jen and Poppy and RaeRae. My mom sends so much stuff that Elliott is convinced that whenever he gets something new - it's from Nana. If Vic and I buy him a toy he'll say, "oh, Nana bought me dis?" Haha ... either way, he's spoiled rotten, but he definitely appreciated all the presents. This is the aftermath ...

I always mean to take some pictures of E and his friends at daycare, but by the time I get to work I'm rushing to drop him off in order to get to my classroom on time. I did have a brief moment the other day when they were sitting down to wait to brush their teeth. If I have learned anything from working in a daycare - it is what a sweet little angel he really is ...

This is how we found him when we went into his room to pick him up. Vic and I were dying laughing ... haha, we are going to try to grow out his hair a bit for winter, and we want to see if his curls are still around!

The other morning E had something shining out of his ear. I reached in to wipe it away, and it was his tube from over a year ago! So gross, but kind of cool. I called the doctor, and apparently there are no issues, and he isn't having any problems. Yuck ...

We headed down to Oktoberfest last weekend and had a great day. We really lucked out with the trip. We left early enough to miss the crazy traffic, and were actually able to find seats. We shared a train car with some pretty rowdy Germans who entertained us most of the way. We were not able to get into an actual tent once we got to the fest, but we found some great seats at a beer garden. I have some great pictures of us enjoying the "festivities", but I have to wait a couple more weeks to post them ... because of some Army rules ...

Our drindl and lederhosen were cute, but so uncomfortable!! I don't think we have ever been so relived to get home and changed ...

The whole group! So, Oktoberfest is really just a big fair with a ton of beer. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was a little surprised that people come from all of the world for this. I am certainly glad that we went, but I think three years in Germany had raised my expectations a little high on what we were going to encounter!

The boys winning us some prizes!

My favorite part of the day came on the train ride home. There was a soldier headed back to Grafenwoehr who was so obnoxiously drunk - talking so loud, cursing, and falling down. Everyone was annoyed with him, and he was making all of us Americans look bad. Anyway, when we got to our last stop he was playing around and falling down in his seat, and the train doors ended up closing in his face ... hilariously trapping him in the car and leaving him banging on the windows for his friends - who had made it off the train in time. It was a pretty funny sight as the train took off and the look of panic set in on his face. I'm not sure where the next stop was, or how he was going to find his way home in his drunken state, but it made for a pretty good laugh.

Elliott has learned so many new songs at daycare ... that he sings/annoys us with at home. This one is my favorite ...

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee ... won't my mama be so proud of me! I like the part when he tells me to stop singing ... haha. My big brother and I used to sing this all the time!

The Calm Before the Storm ...

We have one more weekend before the craziness begins. Our Oktoberfest trip on the 27th kicks off a series of trips and busy weekends ... which will lead directly into our house being packed up and taken away - hopefully the first week of November! I have started going through and selling some stuff that we no longer need and/or will not be bringing back to the states. I am a little nervous we are going to go over our weight limit and end up paying some hefty fines, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm trying not to think too much about the actual task of moving home because it makes me severely anxious, but hopefully everything will go as planned .... and they don't misplace any valuables, dogs, tvs, cars ... or toddlers along the way!

Work has been interesting ... and it is keeping Elliott and I very busy. This week I caught a disgusting case of pink-eye and wa sent home for 48 hours. It was uncomfortable, but I was able to get caught up on laundry!

Last weekend Vic and I went to Nuremberg for a friend's birthday and had so much fun. Elliott stayed with our awesome babysitter, and they had a blast - Elliott woke up in the morning and was really disappointed that she had left!

We took the train, and went to our favorite sushi spot - then headed out afterwards to a great british pub. We're all going our separate ways in the next several months ... pretty sad, but that's Army life for you!!

Elliott is doing great ... I don't think he ever stops talking. He can count to 12 in a breeze, and can recognize about 10 letters (depending on his mood). He loves playing with the tablet and is actually better at operating it than me. He is really into the game Angry Birds and it amazes me how he can figure out certain boards. I'd like to say I don't like him playing it too much, but whatever - it keeps him entertained and it's good for hand-eye-coordination ... or at least that's what I tell myself :)

Vic is all set-up with classes to start in January. He is working to get us home a couple weeks early so he doesn't have to miss any days. I think we have a general neighborhood picked out where we want to live, and I called this week to get Elliott on a few waitlists for a two-day-a-week preschool program. Now I just need to work on finding a job!! I am hoping I can have something secured, so I can relax for a week, and catch-up with family and friends ... and food when we get home! Vic and I have spoke extensively about the first place we're going to eat ... haha ... we can't wait!!!

Euro Trip 2014 - Complete!

Ok! I am finally getting around to writing this. I jumped right into a 40 hour work week - after seven months of being a housewife, so I am adjusting to being busy again. Work is going great. Elliott is loving that he's back with his old friends, and he is transitioning really well.

Our trip with Vanessa, Boris and Lili was great! I think we knocked out all the places we wanted to see ... and had a few adventures along the way.

I did not take as many pictures as I wanted, but Boris and Vanessa took hundreds, so one of these days I'll steal some, and put them on here as well.

We picked them up at the airport in Nuremburg and got right on the road to Prauge. We stayed there for a night, and ate some great Czech food, and took them around to all of the sights ...

Over looking Prauge from the castle gardens ...

The guard at the entrance to the castle ...

We left Prauge and stayed one night back in Grafenwoehr so we could get up the next day and head to our awesome mountain cottage in Austria. The views were amazing, and the owner of the cottage was so nice ... a little over-the-top at times, but very nice. Our plan here was to hit several nearby sights while using this as our home base.

This was the view from our bedroom balcony ...

Our first night we drove into a nearby town and ate at a great German restaurant. Afterwards we stopped at a grocery store to get breakfast supplies and plenty of beer. Our hotel delivered fresh bread every morning so we always had a nice little feast in our German kitchen.

The first full day we had planned to head out to Neuschwanstien Castle ... an easy 40 minute drive. We had a minor set back that morning when Elliott fell down in the hotel and required a hospital visit - he was fine, but needed some x-rays, a little TLC and some pain medicine. After that dramatic situation - we were off to the castle, but with the late start - we arrived with about a million other tourists. Apparently we chose to go to this sight on the busiest day of the year ... perfect. We actually never even made it up to the Neuschawnstien castle, but instead settled for the (slightly) less impressive Hohenschwangau Castle ... just across the mountain. We did a tour, explored the gardens, and saw some amazing views. Since we have lived in Germany - I have loved learning about crazy King Ludwig, so this was a very cool adventure for me.

Eating lunch with the castle in the background. Neuschwanstien is the castle that Walt Disney used to create Cinderella's castle!

Neighboring Hohenschwangau Castle ... the was King Luwig's childhood home. He built Neuschwanstien across the mountain as his own personal retreat. He spent tons of borrowed money on Neuschwanstien, and moved in before it was even fully complete ... then he went totally bonkers, and mysteriously drowned in a lake. Both castles remained untouched during WWII bombings because they are so secluded in the mountains.

Hanging in the gardens ....

Neuschwanstien from the gardens of Hohenschwangau ...

That night we went to an awesome wine bar in the town of Lermoos - where we were staying. The next morning we woke up and headed to Balzano, Italy. We were taking a huge gamble here because it was a huge Italian holiday, so I was scared the whole way there that we would arrive and every thing would be closed. We lucked out and most things were open ... except for the wineries - which was slightly disappointing. Either way, it was a beautiful day and were were able to sight see, eat some great Italian food, and pick up some wine!

The castle-side winery that we wanted to visit :(

The drive home ... amazing views. After our long drive we stopped by Edelweiss - which is an Army resort near our cottage. We ate some great American chicken wings - probably not exciting for Boris, Vanessa and Lili, but Vic and I were in heaven!

The next morning we packed up and headed deeper into Austria and visited Salzburg. The traffic on the autobahn was horrible - what should have been a three hour drive took a little closer to five. We were all starving and ready to get out of the car by the time we got into the city. The weather was pretty crappy, but we were determined to see the city.

Headed up the mountain to check out the castle ...

Views from the castle ...

Elliott threw a massive fit not long after these pictures were taken ... it was really his only meltdown of the two week vacation. I actually missed out on a majority of the crying - as I was running to retrieve our stroller, but I could tell from everyone's faces when I returned that it was a pretty good one!!

Group shot at the castle!

We headed back to the hotel with all intentions of relaxing and getting to bed early. Those plans were quickly foiled when we locked the keys in the car. After a couple hours of attempting to reach anyone who could help us - we finally forked over a couple hundred euro to a shady Austrian man, and we were back in business. Luckily, our insurance company has already reimbursed us, so it just ended up being another funny story on this wacky trip.

The next morning we got up early and headed to Eagle's Nest - Hitler's mountain-top retreat. We actually had a lot of luck with this trip - the weather was beautiful, nothing was closed, and we seemed to beat the crowds. It is quite the process to get to the top of this mountain, but it was well worth it. You're able to drive your own car to the base of the mountain - from there you jump on a bus that takes you up the side of the mountain - hair-pin turns and all. Seriously, one wrong move by these bus drivers and it would be really bad news. Once you're off the terrifying bus you walk down this long tunnel to an elevator which takes you up another few thousand feet. They said Hitler only visited this place a few times because of his fear of heights ...

Tunnel leading to the elevator ...

The views were amazing ...

The building behind Vic is the actual 'Eagle's Nest' ... it is now turned into a restaurant ...

Elliott sitting on the side of the mountain ... with blankie ...

My favorite shot of the vacation ...

After that amazing adventure - we started our long trek back to Grafenwoehr. Traffic was even worse than the day before and our 3 hour drive ended up being about six and a half! We decided that we were going to take the next day off from driving and just sit around the house and relax!!

Lili celebrated her 13th birthday while she was here, so I commissioned my amazing friend Vanessa to make her some cupcakes. Lili wanted this Harley Quinn theme (the Joker's girlfriend from Batman), and Vanessa did a great job!

The morning after our day of relaxation we headed out to the Dachau Concentration Camp. This has been on my bucket list, and it was such an interesting and eye-opening experience.

Prisoner entrance gate ... 'work will make you free' ....

Prisoner rooms ... these were for 'special' prisoners ... well-known musicians, scientists, etc ...

Vanessa and Lili taking pictures ...

Prisoner bunks ...

That's Elliott running away from us ...

Looking back onto the camp ...

Crematorium ...

Not an uplifting experience, but it was a must-see, and an awesome sight for Lili to be able to say she has visited ... Elliott, too, I suppose ... even though he won't remember.

After Dachau we made the quick drive to Munich to spend the rest of the day. We lucked out with traffic on this trip ... thank goodness.

Our first stop was to the Hofbrauhaus for beers ... it is a must for any trip to Munich. Afterwards we walked around the city ...

Frankenkirche under construction :(

Lili was such a trooper during all of our sight-seeing and beer drinking for the entire trip, and she did such a great job entertaining Elliott, and he is definitely missing his cousin!!

During our last day we took the train to Nuremburg and spent the day shopping, eating and seeing the sights. We said our goodbyes there - as they had an early flight in the morning. It was so great to have family around and be able to spend so much time together. We are counting down the days until we're back in America and just a quick flight away!

The next morning Vic and I jumped back on the train to Nuremburg and headed to a much anticipated soccer game. We had a blast and the atmosphere was so great.

We are still trying to catch up on laundry and we have vowed to do no more travelling until Oktoberfest rolls around in a few weeks. Our time here is quickly winding down and were trying to figure out where we can cram the last few trips we want to do. We'll have Oktoberfest in September, Amsterdam in October - followed by our cruise a couple weeks later, Normandy in Novemeber and Spain in December. There are a few other close places that we would like to get to, but our big travel planning is done! I'm pretty sure the next five months are going to fly.

Vic found out that he was accepted into grad school at UCF in Orlando, so he's currently attempting to figure out how we can get home a couple weeks early, so we'll be settled in for him to start classes in January! We are so excited to get home!!!