August 23rd, 2015

When E was learning to speak, Terri (my dear friend and old roommate) introduced herself to him as “Favorite.” I believe she would point at herself, slowly pronounce the word and reward him with cookies when he called her by her self-declared name. It wasn’t until years later that he learned she also happens to go by the name, Terri.

Terri was staying with us at the time and offered to babysit E while we enjoyed an overnight away for our 11th Anniversary. What a gift! Here’s a picture I took of E with his Favorite a few days later.

Fast Forward to the Present…

This past Winter and Spring, Terri was looking for teaching jobs overseas. We tried to get her here to Germany. Sadly, even with our best efforts, there simply wasn’t a position available. Eventually, Terri accepted a teaching job in Africa for the next two years. Though we would LOVE to have her here, at least Germany has the potential to be an extended layover. That potential became a reality at the end of July when Terri arranged to spend a week with us in route to her new job. Yippee!!

On Saturday morning, July 30th, I picked Terri up from the airport.

 

It was another one of those surreal moments to see her walking over to me…here in GERMANY…because I LIVE here. The incredible side of this adventure hits me at the most random times! We were adding another chapter to the story of our friendship that started almost twenty years ago. Awesome!

I was worried I wouldn’t be the best host going into our third week of having guests stay with us. However, as we caught up in the car on the drive home, my concerns quickly dissipated. Having this beloved friend with us, who knows me so well and loves my family with a sincere love, was rejuvenating in the best ways.

Here’s a glance at our week with Favorite…

She tagged along with us to the boys’ first dentist appointments on Tuesday. We found a FANTASTIC dentist thanks to the recommendation of my soccer friend, Amy. Their dentist introduced herself as their “Teeth Counter.” E loves this name and now corrects me if I call her a dentist. She is Puerto Rican, likes to speak Spanglish to the boys and is super fun! She also has a wonderful staff. What a FIND! I’m so happy with her and super excited to have this need checked off the list. If you look closely at the picture of S below, you’ll notice the dental hygienist shooting water into his mouth from a distance. They were playing a game to see how far back she could go with the sprayer!

 

Afterwards, we took Terri to explore a castle ruin. Oh wait…we didn’t just explore. Favorite and the boys STORMED the castle! I can see why they love her so!

 

Terri said they were rescuing the princess (their Mama)! Mission accomplished. Love my boys!

Now time to explore!

 

Coming to Germany was like coming “home” for Terri in many ways. She lived here with her family when she was in High School and still has many fond memories. One of them was the ice cream and the creative ways it can be served. We found an ice cream parlor downtown that served us Spaghetti Eis…ice cream that resembled noodles with tomato (strawberry) sauce and parmesan cheese (coconut shavings)!

On another afternoon, we walked along the Life Path with Favorite to the labyrinth and the Community Table. Terri managed to distract E from the work of pushing his bike uphill by telling him a story she made up on the fly. We were at the top before we knew it!

 

Oh the gift of traveling through life with good friends!

 

 

Terri translated the sign at the Community Table for me. After hearing the translation, I love it even MORE! You can see the sign above and read the translation below.

Together
-old and young
-to eat and drink
-laugh and sing
-talk and be silent
-Strangers and Friends

For where two or three
are gathered in my name,
I am there among them. 
Matthew 18:20 

We passed fields of wheat along our walk with strange indentations. Favorite shared her theory that alien ships had landed. Perhaps that’s what inspired E to dress up as an astronaut the following morning. He captured the alien cat!

 

On Friday, we ventured to the Dino Park with our Favorite. The boys had a marvelous time playing with Terri! She could be found inside the “onion” with them, climbing ropes, enjoying the water toys, having her alignment tweaked in crazy slides or fighting off the dinosaurs. This girl PLAYS like no other!

 

 

 

 

Are you in there Favorite?

That evening, she gave Mein Mann and I the incredible gift of a DATE NIGHT! It was so good to reconnect, just the two of us, after three weeks of traveling, a week of getting over jet lag and preparing for guests and then three weeks of hosting guests. We relished the time together! We ate dinner in the beer garden of a lovely Italian place, enjoyed ice cream at our favorite coffee-house, walked to the bakery on the other side of the train tracks for coffee and then took the long way home. What a treat to do all of this on foot! One of the gifts of village life.

 

 

When we came home, we found Favorite reading to the boys in their room. I think they relished their time too!

With our last couple of days together, we took a day trip to Koblenz and enjoyed a Culinary Hike. There are way to many pictures to add those experiences here. I’ll catch up on them in the next couple of posts.

We wrapped up our week celebrating Terri’s Birthday with cake, candles, a family serenade and presents wrapped in our grocery shopping bags!

 

 

Terri’s visit was an incredible gift to all of us. How grateful we are for the time we had together and her continual friendship that spans decades and now continents. We love you Favorite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 18th, 2016

On July 21st, we touched down in the land of Mien Mann’s ancestors. If you read the last post, you know that our travels had a rocky start. Thankfully, there were still lots of good moments that tipped the scales to fond memories. With a little help from Rick Steves and our own family tour guide (Popo), we ventured around the English countryside and into London for three full days of site-seeing. Here’s a recap!

Day 1…Essex County

We flew into Stansted Airport on the outskirts of London. The location worked well since it was in the vicinity of the area we were touring on our first day. I practice my celebrity wave as we disembarked onto British soil!

 

Driving on the left side of the road definitely challenged the way our brains are wired!

 

Several times, we drove through tree tunnels formed by the overhanging canopy of trees. Loved it! Also enjoyed this red phone booth that was being used as a mini-library.

 

We visited the farm-house where Popo’s grandfather was born. The present owner was kind enough to give us a tour, complete with a farm kitty that our oldest instantly fell in love with!

 

Popo contacted him ahead of time so we didn’t completely show up unannounced. However, I was still amazed at the kindness of a stranger to welcome us in and chat for a while. The house was over 500 years old!!!  The rustic beauty of the surrounding buildings and grounds added to the charm.

 

After saying our goodbyes, we ventured on to the village of Thaxted. Upon arrival, we toured the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist where many of Popo’s ancestors attended. It had a little children’s corner that kept the boys occupied while we walked around. In the floor, were several tombstones. One of them caught my eye. It was for a woman named Anne who died in 1782. Written upon her tombstone were these words…”Her days were few but her end was lamented. For in her, the Needy found a constant friend.” I would have liked to meet Anne.

 

 

We ate our first Fish and Chips at an English pub across the street from the church. De…licious!! Afterwards, we took a little stroll along a path that led us to a windmill built in 1804 with beautiful views of open fields. The thatched roofs and colorful houses added to the beauty of the countryside!

 

 

 

We then drove to the Baptist church where the names of family ancestors were etched in the cornerstones. We also stopped at a lovely home named “Midsummer Hill” where Popo’s grandfather lived just before moving to America. Doesn’t the name invite you in? I noticed many homes with names in England. We should name our home!

 

We eventually made our way to our rented flat in Epping…our home away from home thanks to Airbnb. We made a food run to the grocery store around the corner, ate dinner and talked over site-seeing plans for our next two days in London. We used our pizza box as a giant pad of paper to brainstorm with. Afterwards, Mien Mann and I took the boys out to let them run around a bit. They needed to burn off some energy! Notice E in mid-flight in the picture of Momo looking over our London itinerary! So…much…energy!

 

Day 2 and 3…LONDON!

“Look Kids! Big Ben, Parliament!”

 

Being in London reminded us of this often quoted scene from American Lapoon’s European Vacation (circa 1985)…

Thankfully, this was not our experience! We took the train, rode on double-decker buses and put more mileage on our feet and Momo’s healing knee. She was such a trooper! Our second day riding into London on the Underground, S quietly serenaded our train car as he sweetly sang the words to the song, I Stand in Awe of You. I sing to the boys at night and I’m always amazed how quickly they pick up songs. It was precious!

 

 

 

We toured Westminster Abbey on Saturday via audio tour. What a historically rich place! Alongside hosting weddings of royals (such as Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 and Prince William in 2011), there are also endless tombstones of famous individuals like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Listening to the audio tour while doing the kid’s scavenger hunt kept the boys (and their parents!) busy for a while as we searched for answers to various clues.

But even in the best places, we reach our limits. In a crowded alcove, I looked down at our youngest and realized his view had been diminished to the backsides of the people he was being shuffled about with. It was around this time that he was done. I couldn’t blame him! I think we all were. We returned on Sunday evening to take in one of the free, organ concerts I learned about via Rick Steves. Thanks Rick! The music was beautiful, the setting was amazing and the length (thirty minutes) was just right. Since picture-taking inside the Abbey is prohibited, we captured a few memories from the outsides.

 

 

 

In the afternoon, we ventured to The Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. Interestingly, it was Prince George’s third Birthday that day. I imagine he has enjoyed this wonderful playground built in the memory of his grandmother who loved the innocence of childhood.

 

Inspired by the stories of Peter Pan, this wonderland encourages both the imagination and playfulness in every child. Our boys LOVED it! An awesome, pirate ship took center stage surrounded by “jungles”, a water area, tepees and more. I was glad I dressed the boys in yellow that day. It helped us spot them in the crowd!

 

 

 

On Sunday, we toured the British Museum. (Photo courtesy of Popo!)

I’m amazed this treasure chest of artifacts is FREE to the public! We checked out an Activity Backpack containing several activities to help engage kids in different areas of the museum. Our “African Adventure” taught us about ancient warriors, head dresses, knives and pottery.

 

 

 

Amongst its many treasured artifacts, the Rosetta Stone has been on exhibit at the British Museum since 1802 (with only one break). This famous stone has writing on it in two languages using three scripts. It was the key to understanding the Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It records a decree made on the 27th of March, 196 BC. What a privilege it was to see it with our own eyes…sandwiched within a crowd of folks, of course! Crazy, right?!

 

We could have spent days exploring the museum but enjoyed the taste we got within a couple of hours!

 

 

Momo and Popo recommended the Museum Tavern for lunch. More Fish-n-Chips (and hotdogs for our oldest)!

 

That afternoon, we navigated our way to Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury. As adults, the boys were our “ticket” in. They quickly mastered the zip line and could have stayed much longer in this kid’s haven!

 

 

What an opportunity to make new memories with Momo and Popo!! We are thankful they suggested it!

Spending the weekend amongst the British also reminded us of this clip from the movie, Planes…

“I don’t cry, I’m British!” (S and his Daddy doing their own impersonation!)

Cheerio!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 14th, 2016

I’ve been thinking lately of how this online journal is turning into a travel blog more than I initially intended. I definitely want to remember the trips we take since the travel opportunity was one of the greatest motivators for us in seeking out this adventure in the first place. Yet, at the same time, there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes…behind the pictures we take.

Recently, I’ve been listening to a four-part podcast called Travel with Kids through the blog, The Art of Simple. The host of the podcast is having an ongoing conversation with another woman about traveling around the world with their husbands and children. During the first three parts, the two woman talk about the reasons why they travel with young kids, the practicalities, the educational value and the highlights. Great thoughts that encourage me to make the most of this unique season in our lives.

In the last segment (part four), they talk about the hard. One of things they highlight is how aspects of relationships get magnified in the jet lag, culture shock, missing home, and overall stresses of travel. This is sooooo true! I really appreciated hearing both sides, especially when we are living out our own stories and what is getting magnified is not so easy. It doesn’t mean that we regret moving or want to throw in the towel because we don’t. It’s just an honest assessment. Depending on the moment, the “hard” vacillates from center stage to side lines and then back again.

On a regular basis, we find ourselves living outside of our comfort zone. I’ve seen the struggle this can be for our boys. Its hard on all of us. The emotional dam waters overflow on a regular basis with one of our kiddos and can strike the other at a moments notice. The meltdowns have been monumental, the stress is overwhelming at times and my perceived deficits as a mother feel massive. Then we add additional travel and all THAT entails and we sometimes have the makings for the perfect storm. Oh man!

The morning we left for England with Momo and Popo, we awoke at 4am to catch a VERY early flight. I could already feel the sharp edge on one of our boys and the sleep deficit was not helping. Here we are walking out to our plane as the sun was making its way to the horizon…

By mid-morning, about five hours later, we were attempting to figure out a seating arrangement in our rental car for the six of us and our luggage. The rental car agent was late to work that morning so we had sat around for awhile waiting to pick up our car. One child was jumping all around with more energy than his little body knew what to do with. Yet, the parking lot we were standing in wasn’t the best place to expel said energy. The other child was refusing to sit in the far back where we needed him to be and had lost any manners we have taught him over the past several years. (Though it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, we do work on manners on a daily basis…ugh!) It started to rain, the kids were yelling, we were playing Tetris with our luggage to get it to all fit, and our patience was running low alongside our blood sugar levels. Minutes later, we added the stress of driving a stick on the other side of the road, having a near, head-on collision and Mein Mann having to navigate both the roads and the voices of the rest of us. He did amazingly well being chauffeur, father, son and husband all at the same time!

Now that I remember all the details, I’m a little surprised that I took this picture in the middle of it all. How the heck are we still smiling?! Either I was in denial or somehow manage to convince myself that “this too will pass”…and it did. **Sigh**

One child fell asleep rather quickly while the other reluctantly settled into his back seat digs. I do remember Mein Mann telling me to loosen my death grip on my seat belt at one point. I think I grabbed it when I thought we were going to get hit and then forgot to let go once the imminent danger had passed. It probably took until lunchtime for our blood pressures to get back to normal!

There are layers often to the hard and trying to unpack it all in the moment is not possible. We often revisit scenarios later. Sometimes we learn from the experience and try to do things differently the next time. Other times, I simply hope for better days as I read more parenting books and listen to podcasts reassuring me that we are not alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 11th, 2016

With a SUPER early departure on Friday morning for our London trip with Momo and Popo, we decided to drive to the airport on Thursday and stay at a hotel close by. To make the most of the day, we stopped at Bingen to take a boat ride on the Rhine. A co-worker of Mein Mann’s had recommended this quaint town and the boat rides that go out from it.

It was raining Thursday morning while we all packed. After lunch, the sky cleared up as we loaded into two cars and started driving. After arriving in Bingen, we found places to park, talked over distance options (to determine both return time and price) with the man at the ticket window and boarded a boat all within about 20 minutes or so. Since this side trip was pretty spontaneous for us, we hadn’t done much planning. We were pleasantly surprised with how well things worked out. An added bonus was the beautiful weather! Yippee!!

Here we are boarding…

We quickly learned the sooner you board, the more likely you are to get seats on a crowded boat! After a bit of scavenging for random seats, we put together a little sitting area for ourselves in the shade and enjoyed the views of castles, vineyards and quaint villages along the river.

 

 

In the middle of the top deck was a children’s slide. I love how the Germans incorporate play areas for children!

Here’s a short video clip of our surroundings, complete with guitar playing and singing!

When we got off the boat in Bacharach, a spirited swan came to greet the newest visitors.

 

We could have easily lingered here for awhile. However, we only had about fifteen minutes before our next boat arrived to take us back up the Rhine. Momo and Popo hung out near the dock while the rest of us walked up a little ways into the village. It looked so inviting! Sadly, the minutes quickly ticked away and we headed back to the dock with a very frustrated child who wanted something he saw in one of the stores we walked by. Thankfully, he bounced back in time to board the next boat. Oh, the ups and downs of parenting.

 

 

Our next boat was not crowded at ALL! The top deck had a nice covering for several people to sit under. There was also another children’s play area. These extra comforts added to an already lovely ride on the Rhine.

 

 

The two Mr & Mrs Cowell. =)

 

We disembarked in the village of Bingen and walked along the lovely promenade. The flowers were in full bloom. BEAUTIFUL!

 

 

We found a Biergarten Popo had spotted from the boat. The setting was wonderful and the food was delicious! I ordered a vegetarian burger than was literally a bun with a bunch of cooked veggies in the middle. The sauce made the meal!

Here are a couple of Popo’s pictures! It kinda looks like I have E in a neck hold…rest assured, I don’t.

After dinner, we walked to a little ice cream shop in Bingen. As we walked back to our cars, it began to sprinkle. Perfect timing!

 

For both Mein Mann and I, this day was such a highlight for us of Momo and Popo’s visit! We are so grateful we got to share this experience together as we discovered more of the beauty that surrounds us here in Germany.

Schönen Tag! (Have a good day!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 9th, 2016

On the morning of July 16th, E woke up EARLY! He took the train with his Daddy to meet Momo and Popo at the airport…a special trip he asked to take. He was sooooo excited to see his grandparents that he could hardly fall asleep the night before! Popo’s gentle mannerisms with E often remind me of an old movie called, The Horse Whisperer. I think of Popo as the Grandchild Whisperer. E loves and admires him deeply. He picked out a tie to wear when he greeted his Popo and Momo at the airport…it was a special occasion!

 

Momo and Popo lived life with us for a little over two weeks. The boys were spoiled having their grandparents around to love on them and shower them with attention, gifts, sugar and fun outings. A little boy’s dream come true! Half way through their visit, Mein Mann (my Man) took a few days off for a boat trip on the Rhine followed by a long weekend in England. Those trips need posts of their own being that we are camera happy people!

Here are some highlights from our time together here in Germany…

We took Momo and Popo to church our first Sunday together. They met a couple with whom they had friends in common with back home! Afterwards, we ate lunch in Kaiserslautern. The portions were HUGE! Momo and Popo shared meals from that point forward!

 

A festival celebrating the Arts was going on downtown. The boys were mesmerized by a one-man show that involved a telephone booth, audience participation and funny mishaps. It was a silent show and surprisingly entertaining!

 

To help fight Jetlag and get us all out in the fresh air, we took Momo and Popo on the Nature Path. I loved watching Popo play with the boys. He played a song for them on the forest xylophone, walked the wooden balance beam and even conquered the ropes course!

 

 

Momo brought along her delicious Cinnamon Roll recipe. The boys were delighted to pitch in when she made them for all of us! She is an awesome cook!

Momo and Popo’s friend, Jon, came for a quick visit. He was studying in Berlin this past semester. He arrived by bus on Monday evening and left Tuesday night. We enjoyed hearing the adventures of this young man who is definitely making the most of his opportunity to study abroad. It was fun to add the Nanstein Castle to his long list of sites he has taken in during his European travels. Though S and I had been to these castle ruins a couple of times before, it was E’s first time. We tried the audio tour which had both an adult and child version. Listening added a whole new depth to the experience.

 

 

 

 

All the men (big and little) walked to the train station to see Jon off on Tuesday evening.

Momo and S pitted the cherries we had picked off of our cherry tree. S found his own method of smashing several cherries at a time and it worked! Momo then treated us all to a scrumptious, cherry dump cake. Yum!

 

Meanwhile, E and Popo played together on the floor…cars, cards and trains! S joined in the fun after he was done with the cherries!

 

 

We purchased an inflatable, swimming pool for the boys to play when we got back from London. Popo helped clean out the swing-set slide so the boys could use it in the water. He couldn’t resist playing in it too!

 

On July 25th, E lost his third tooth! Thankfully, the Tooth Fairy found his tooth case tucked under his pillow here in Germany and left him a Euro.

 

Popo walked to the Bakery one morning and brought back a bag full of the raisin rolls Momo became a fan of!

During our second week together, Momo pulled out her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Her little helpers ate as many chocolate chips as they could while she did most of the baking. Chocolate chip cookies made for a great snack after a cool dip in the pool. The boys sat on the porch, eating their cookies, as content as they could be. The cookies disappeared pretty quickly!

 

We took several walks during Momo and Popo’s visit. Momo had knee surgery this past March and amazed us all with the mileage she put on her repaired knee. She should be the poster child for the doctor who performed her surgery! One afternoon, we walked with Momo and Popo up to the Labyrinth. S, Popo and I ventured to the middle.

 

 

On our walk back, E picked daisies for me…my favorite. I love that the boys pick me flowers!

 

Afterwards, we went out to a strawberry farm to pick up some strawberry wine we had ordered over the phone. We enjoyed meeting the owner, Rebecca, and learning about the workings of her family’s farm. She took us out to the pasture to let the boys feed and pet their sheep.

 

Before we knew it, we were taking our last stroll through the village with Momo and Popo. We showed them the old Catholic Church and the grounds surrounding it.

The following morning, we hugged goodbye and they headed home. Mein Mann rode to the airport with them to make sure his parents made their flight. Afterwards, he took the train to work. When I walked through their room that morning to change out the sheets for the next guest, I suddenly felt their absence.

Thank you for flying across the ocean to see us Momo and Popo! You left us with many sweet memories. Whenever the sun hits the rainbow maker you gave us, we think of you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 8th, 2016

It may take me all of August to catch up on this blog after three weeks of visitors and adventures…slowly but surely! Happy August everyone!

Fußball (soccer) wrapped up for the boys July 15th…one day before the grandparents arrived. Our youngest LOVED it! The older one was hit and miss, depending on the day. His experience was definitely different since he had an extra weekly practice and played at a more competitive level than his little brother. Though teams are determined by birth year, we were still shocked watching the fancy footwork and athleticism of E’s peers. After dragging him out of the house for his extra practice a few times, we decided to let him make the call. If he got ready when we told him to, we drove him. To our surprise, he continued putting on his shin guards and cleats. I was proud of him for not giving up in the midst of the hard. In just two short months of playing, we saw both of the boys improve in their skills.

Soccer was a great outlet to use up some of the boys’ never-ending supply of energy (they always amaze us with how much they have). It also became a time to hang out with our friends! S loved seeing his little buddy each week. These two would play around on the field while their older brothers were in practice. THEN, they would go to their practice!

We would watch practice from some concrete steps that look down on the fields.

On the last day, the boys’ teams went through a series of drills to test their skills. At the end, they both received certificates, pins and treats. They surprised us with how well they did! The head director of the soccer program translated for me…so helpful! Here is E with his team. (He is wearing a white shirt, sitting left of center, near the front).

 

Below is S after he got his certificate. The woman with the blond hair is the coach for both boys. In S’s team photo, he is sitting almost in the middle. There are a couple of older boys sitting in the back, on the left. They are helpers. S really looks up to them!

 

Afterwards, S’s team played a scrimmage. He was in his element!

 

This past week, my friend Amy told me that the boys’ team pictures were in our local newspaper/magazine. I quickly went out to the mailbox and picked up our newest edition. How fun it was to see their faces! I’m grateful for the opportunity to become a little part of our village through this global sport.

 

As of now, E wants to play when the season starts up again. S likes the idea too. It looks like we will be doing fußball in the Fall!