Our first day home from our trip was really nice.
On Monday, we saw sunrise at Big Ben and the House of Parliament in London, then took a 10.5 hour flight home and saw sunset at the new (and almost finished) house. Whew. It was a long and tortuous day, but we went to bed at 9:00 and slept until 9:30 on Tuesday morning.
We picked up the kids from Michelle's house late on Tuesday morning and they were so happy to see us. They gave us big hugs and told us how much they missed us. We missed them too. They told us all day, about every 30 minutes that they loved us. William told us in his admonishing voice, "Mom, Dad? I missed you for 11 days!!"
We went to lunch together in the new shopping center by the new house. It has a WhichWich and cute little play area with a hedge maze, a nice sitting area with an outdoor fire place and some very nice public restrooms with particularly spiffy hand dryers. The kids and I have been several times in the last few weeks and they wanted to show Daddy all of the fun things to do there. They gave him the grand tour and then we walked over to the dog park to watch the dogs from outside the fence.
We left for a family trip to the grocery store and then headed to the new neighborhood for our pre-closing walk through! :-) The house is almost finished and it looks terrific. I'm so pleased with how it is coming together and we are on schedule to close on the 25th. :-)
At the apartment that evening, we dispensed souvenirs (puzzles, wooden tops and a horse) and they got to sleep in their own beds for the first time in about 2 weeks.
This morning, as Robert sat on our bed, he leaned over to hug me and said, "Glad came back." I had a hard time understanding him, but once I figured it out, it was so sweet to hear him spontaneously tell us how much he missed us and that he is happy to have us home. Kids are so sweet.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The second time around...
The second time around, Berlin has been just as grand as before, but there have been some differences.
1. It's really cold here! It's been in the 30s and lower 40s all week. Now, for some, that's not a matter to complain about, but for we Texans leaving 70-80 degree weather last week in our cozy air conditioned houses, coming to a city to walk around outside all day in the 30 degree weather has been quite a shock. We left our hotel the first morning, thinking it was cold, but our sweaters ought to do us just fine. We made our first 500m trek down the street and past the buildings that were blocking the wind and turned right around to get our coats, scarves and gloves. That was Monday.
2. Also on Monday, we made the whirlwind tour of Berlin's finest sites in record time. When we were here 2 summers ago, we took it slowly, letting the babies set the pace. We enjoyed the sites and lingered at will, but ultimately, we only spent a maximum of 3-4 hours out doors each day in the warm and pleasant sunshine. This time, due to the time crunch of Doug's conference schedule, we visited all the same sites and were pleased to discover that most could be viewed in one full day. So, we began our trek with breakfast and stayed out until well after dark. The only trouble was that we walked that entire time. We estimate that we walked between 7 and 10 miles that day. Sure, some of us are carrying less weight than we were 2 years ago, but 10 miles is a long way for those who normally travel half a mile or less on foot daily. By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were beat. Our feet were swollen and blistered and we were ready to crash for the night. We did enjoy our review of sites, while touring Doug's colleague around for the first time.
3. We've spoken more German this time around too. Partly by necessity, as last time we travelled with native speakers and relied on their expertise. This time, I've found myself in conversations with several others and have enjoyed the practice, though I feel myself butchering the language as it comes out. I hear it correctly in my head and even dream in German while I'm here, but it falls apart somewhere between my head and mouth.
4. I've explored a bit of Berlin on my own this time since Doug is at the conference each day. I'm reminded of my first travels to Europe. I rarely travelled without friends, but I did take a few lonely adventures to Germany when my friends didn't want to return with me. I've decided that I like having a travel partner and the sites and surroundings just aren't the same alone. I did enjoy the audio tour through the Palace Charlottenburg today. It was the perfect leisurely stroll for my sore feet and the voice in the headphones kept me company while I admired the Baroque and Rococo delights inside the restored palace.
5. Since the near foot explosion of the first day, we have made more use of our 7-day transportation passes. Wow, what a difference! My feet have not recovered fully, so I'm so glad for the relief of walking across the city.
It is late at night here now and I am waiting for a load of laundry to dry in a dryer designed in a culture that line dries their clothes. Given the cold and rainy weather outside, we don't stand a chance of wearing those jeans tomorrow unless the dryer kicks into gear soon. Hopefully, I will find the dryer has done it's job and I can go to bed!
1. It's really cold here! It's been in the 30s and lower 40s all week. Now, for some, that's not a matter to complain about, but for we Texans leaving 70-80 degree weather last week in our cozy air conditioned houses, coming to a city to walk around outside all day in the 30 degree weather has been quite a shock. We left our hotel the first morning, thinking it was cold, but our sweaters ought to do us just fine. We made our first 500m trek down the street and past the buildings that were blocking the wind and turned right around to get our coats, scarves and gloves. That was Monday.
2. Also on Monday, we made the whirlwind tour of Berlin's finest sites in record time. When we were here 2 summers ago, we took it slowly, letting the babies set the pace. We enjoyed the sites and lingered at will, but ultimately, we only spent a maximum of 3-4 hours out doors each day in the warm and pleasant sunshine. This time, due to the time crunch of Doug's conference schedule, we visited all the same sites and were pleased to discover that most could be viewed in one full day. So, we began our trek with breakfast and stayed out until well after dark. The only trouble was that we walked that entire time. We estimate that we walked between 7 and 10 miles that day. Sure, some of us are carrying less weight than we were 2 years ago, but 10 miles is a long way for those who normally travel half a mile or less on foot daily. By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were beat. Our feet were swollen and blistered and we were ready to crash for the night. We did enjoy our review of sites, while touring Doug's colleague around for the first time.
3. We've spoken more German this time around too. Partly by necessity, as last time we travelled with native speakers and relied on their expertise. This time, I've found myself in conversations with several others and have enjoyed the practice, though I feel myself butchering the language as it comes out. I hear it correctly in my head and even dream in German while I'm here, but it falls apart somewhere between my head and mouth.
4. I've explored a bit of Berlin on my own this time since Doug is at the conference each day. I'm reminded of my first travels to Europe. I rarely travelled without friends, but I did take a few lonely adventures to Germany when my friends didn't want to return with me. I've decided that I like having a travel partner and the sites and surroundings just aren't the same alone. I did enjoy the audio tour through the Palace Charlottenburg today. It was the perfect leisurely stroll for my sore feet and the voice in the headphones kept me company while I admired the Baroque and Rococo delights inside the restored palace.
5. Since the near foot explosion of the first day, we have made more use of our 7-day transportation passes. Wow, what a difference! My feet have not recovered fully, so I'm so glad for the relief of walking across the city.
It is late at night here now and I am waiting for a load of laundry to dry in a dryer designed in a culture that line dries their clothes. Given the cold and rainy weather outside, we don't stand a chance of wearing those jeans tomorrow unless the dryer kicks into gear soon. Hopefully, I will find the dryer has done it's job and I can go to bed!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Berlin, here we come!!
We're packing and bustling to leave for Berlin tomorrow. See you in a couple of weeks!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Flew the Coop
Spring is blooming in the retail world. Mary has noted the beautiful fragrance of the aisles of silk flowers in Hobby Lobby. William is more fascinated with another decoration, "bird jails." He'd like to have a bird jail in his room some day.
To you and me, it's just an ordinary cage, but not to the active mind of a 4-year old.
To you and me, it's just an ordinary cage, but not to the active mind of a 4-year old.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Speaking of heroes.
We passed a fire truck today and reminisced a bit about William's birthday party, which I neglected to blog about. We celebrated at the fire station and two trainees presented fire safety tips before giving us a tour. The fireman asked "Does anyone know what to do if your clothes are on fire?"
No one answered for a while, until Mary added, "Don't put them on."
Yes, stop, drop and get away from those burning clothes, Mary.
No one answered for a while, until Mary added, "Don't put them on."
Yes, stop, drop and get away from those burning clothes, Mary.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A Hero in Our Midst
At our apartment complex, we often park next to a little blue Honda car that has two white Superman emblems on the rear windows. I happen to know that this car belongs to the people living in the apartment above us.
The first time William noticed the Superman emblems, he commented and I agreed that it was really neat. We finished buckling and loading and preparing to leave and then as we backed out of the spot William inquired,
"Mom, is that really Superman's car?"
The first time William noticed the Superman emblems, he commented and I agreed that it was really neat. We finished buckling and loading and preparing to leave and then as we backed out of the spot William inquired,
"Mom, is that really Superman's car?"
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My dear Aunt Virginia
We lost my Great Aunt Virginia today.
She will leave a great void in this world. She possesses the most kind and gentle heart our family has ever seen. She was like a grandmother to me when my parents divorced and we needed extra love and assistance. She and Uncle Henry showered our family with love.
She leaves us and her husband of 63 years, as well as the pain and illnesses of this world to stand in the presence of our Lord. We miss her terribly and will look forward to the day we will be reunited with her in eternity.
She will leave a great void in this world. She possesses the most kind and gentle heart our family has ever seen. She was like a grandmother to me when my parents divorced and we needed extra love and assistance. She and Uncle Henry showered our family with love.
She leaves us and her husband of 63 years, as well as the pain and illnesses of this world to stand in the presence of our Lord. We miss her terribly and will look forward to the day we will be reunited with her in eternity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)