German Adventure #1

Well.. we are here! Actually we arrived 4 days ago but now that we have adjusted to the time change we are here not only physicall but mentally as well! So far we have had a TON of fun! Germany never disapponts us on how much there is to do. Here is a not so brief description of what we have done so far:

Day 1:
We arrived into Franfurt Internation Airport around 1:00 German time. The flight only took about 10 and a half hours! Don't laugh but it really went by so fast. I couldn't believe how quickly it went. The kids did really really well, as usual. Sami slept for over 3 and a half hours I had to wake her up to get out of her pajams before we landed. Luke on the other hand slept about an hour. He will tell you he slept until morning but when you are flying east in the evening it only takes about an hour for morning to come! When we arrived we were greeted by our fabulious German family and two cars. We had so much luggage that Silke brought Andrea's dog transportation car so that we could make it home! :) And here I pride myself on being a light packer. 3 weeks, 4 people, and 3 parties takes a little extra baggage.
When we travel here it is important to make sure to not go to sleep too early the first night so we went to Oma Maria's house, to the park, and toasted the evening with sparkling wine. My Fav!! 

Day 2:
The kids woke up at 4 am.... oh time change....oh jet lag! My fab in-laws wanted me to feel at home so we went to an "American" mall called the loop 5. I am told that the number five is because it is by the highway #5! It was AMAZING! I think that it was much bigger than our malls, also more expensive! I wanted to buy a bottle of clear nail polish. I found the brand Opi which I like and it was 19 Euro!! After conversion it would be $34! There were kid activities everywhere and they were all free! It is such a good idea to have kid events located all over the mall to keep them happy! There was even a bouncy house/slide shaped like a pirate ship inside! I have pictures on my phone so we will post them later! After the mall the boys went home and the girls did more shopping! There was a fair in Darmstadt so getting places wasn't easy or fast. We will just leave that experiance at that. Then the girls went grocery shopping and home. When we arrived we found boys napping and Opa cutting the grass! What guts they have sleeping while we work hard!! Oh well. The day ended with a bang at a birthday party for Tante Doris. There were several people there that wanted to practice their English. I was asked something I have only heard of. A man asked me where I was from. I told him Las Vegas. He looked surprised. After a small argument between their group as to what state Las Vegas is in he asked how long I lived there. I proudly told him that I was a native. Then he said this, "Are there really places to live in Las Vegas? I have never seen a house in the commerical!" I was totally floored! I know people that have been asked questions like this before but that was my first time! I wanted to say hello sir! I just told you I have live there for 30 years and now you ask me if there are places to live! Some things remain the same no matter what country you are in! This was not someone we were related to! They know better! :) After the fun we hit the hay early, but I hear that the party went until 3am! A little late for the kids I think. :)

Day 3:   
Tante Silke's birthday!!! What a busy day! We had some friends and family over for breakfast. I made eggs, hashbrowns (hashbrownies as they are now called here!), bacon, and we helped with the kids. As you all know that is something that isn't natural for me...playing with kids.... ha ha ha. It is so funny how you can play with kids no matter what language they speak. However, the 3 year old was quite fascinated with me. He kept asking me things like, "Do you have a stomach?" and "If you have a stomach do you have a belly button?" After the interigation I passed his test and we had a lot of fun together! It made me miss all of the kids in my life! I love you all! After breakfast was over we went to 3 different parks. The kids' favorite thing at most German parks is a zip line! Most of the parks have them and my kids could ride them for hours! Joerg and I have fun too! Here are a couple of pictures!

After our park fun we headed to the fair that caused so much greif in our lives the day before! The kids love the fairs in Germany because they still have all of the fun things that we remember from our childhood. You know all the good stuff like fun houses and bumper cars that give you whiplash! I took some great videos of all 3 of my kids coming out of the fun house! I can't wait to share it when I come home. Joerg said, "Oh that would never fly in the USA!" The kids had a blast though so that is what matters! Our new profile picture is a picture of us just outside the "fair grounds". It is actually a park that is near a palace but for this week it is fair grounds! That is why we were able to find such a beautiful backdrop!

Today:

Well, today we are having a 4th of July party. It isn't going to be as big as I hoped. :( Apparently people have "jobs" and a Monday party isn't the best idea. Ha ha ha. So it is now a family event. We will have fun regardless and we can always use the extra plates and napkins for another event. Maybe Joerg's 37th birthday tomorrow!

We booked our hotel for Rome today. We will be staying at the Nove Domus Hotel and Suites. It is a 5 minute walk from the Vatican and a short Metro ride to the middle of the city. I will of course take pictures but if you are too excited to wait here is the web address! http://www.novadomushotel.it/index.htm

Our travel agent, Silke :) says it looks like a good place to stay and I trust her judgement. It meets all of my requirements, basically it has to have air conditioning, fit all of us, and be safe. It looks as though it will be even more than that though! We can't beat the price either! Between the discounted price that she gets plus the voucher she is giving us we are getting it super cheap!

Well I know that this is long. In fact Ernst says that if I write like this every day I could write a novel titled My German Adventures. However, I wanted to let you know what we have been up to. I know that there are a few people that are curious!

Prost to another 17 days of excitement!!! 

We miss and love all of you! hope you have a great 4th! Light a firework for me!