I-O-W-A

After departing Germany but before leaving for Japan, we returned home to Iowa for about a month to spend time with family and friends. As usual, it was a great trip. We ate at many of our favorite restaurants on our trip home; however, our most frequented restaurant on this trip was actually a new place to us called Fong's Pizza, a creative infusion of Chinese food and pizza. Our favorite new discovery was Crab Rangoon Pizza...

We also spent some time at the Farmers Market in downtown Des Moines. In addition to selling produce and craft items, there are a lot of food vendors. Sometimes it can be a challenge to decide if you want breakfast or lunch or both, but I checked a few of my favorites off the list- dutch letters, kettle corn, and an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Since Matt and I moved from Iowa 5 and 4 years ago, respectively, there has been a lot of work down to revitalize the downtown area, and it was great to be home during the summer months to explore some of those changes.

We celebrated the fourth of July in the U.S. for the first time in several years, and attended what has become an annual rib cook-off and pie competition at my aunt Pam and Andy's house. It was a rainy day and night (fireworks were postponed throughout the city), but it was still fun to take part in the Independence Day festivities. I was even lucky enough to be selected as a pie competition judge- 14 bite-sized samples of different pies only equates to a couple pieces of pie, right?

Cousins Elie, Ben, Hannah, and Katy

The following week, Matt had Lasik-like eye surgery (PRK or ASA) to correct his vision. The procedure went really well and after wearing glass or contacts since 5th grade,  it appears to have been worth the discomfort and 6-month regime of drops. This picture of Matt and Lena is one of the last with glasses! To be honest, I'm kind of going to miss those glasses, but I am so happy that my hubby can finally see clearly!

The next weekend, we traveled to Jefferson, Iowa for a cousins reunion on Matt's side of the family. It was a really nice opportunity for me to review how everyone fits together in the family tree, and was the first reunion that Matt and I have ever been in town for- another perk of visiting in the summer!  Here are the cousins and their spouses in attendance...

First Row: Mike and Teresa, John and Alice Mae, Shirley, Arlie, Liz and Jerry

Second Row: Harold and Diane, Jay,Vicki and Lyle

Front Row: David and Garrett

Back Rows: Brandy, Isaac, Ben, Jessica, Matt, Ashley, Valerie, Mackenzie, Cindy, Spencer, Nate, and Maggie

Fully realizing that this would be our last stateside trip home without a baby, we both took advantage of the opportunity to do a little bit of traveling. I spent a day in Iowa City with my mom and Liz while Kiley took her step 1 med school board exams and Matt took a road trip to Oklahoma with Mo to visit friends Chris and Jason.

We had a lot of fun playing, reading, and just spending time with our nephew and niece Magnus and Lena. They are growing up so incredibly fast. One morning, I stayed home with Lena while Matt went to swimming lessons with Jessica and Magnus. When Magnus is not channeling his best spider man impression, he is really into dressing up like a cowboy (think Woody from Toy Story). So, naturally, a cowboy hat and boots were mandatory attire for the pool. Matt captured some great moments from their morning...

Our final days in the states are always jam packed with quality time spent with family and friends and this trip was no exception. I had dinner with Kate, Sam, and Cassie at Alba's and Matt and I met Mo and Sonia for an impromptu lunch.

Before we moved to Germany, we had a German-themed farewell party complete with costumes and a serenading accordionist. This time around, we had a Japanese-themed farewell party without the costumes, but with all of the flare. We had all sorts of Japanese/Asian food (sushi, shrimp, pot stickers, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, udon noodles, soba noodles, "Kobe" burgers, salmon patties, fried rice, etc.) and a perfectly American ice cream sundae bar for dessert. The one exception to no costumes- a very special gift from my grandma- a kimono robe that my grandma brought back for her from his time in Asia during the Vietnam War.

We also said goodbye to our 13+ year old dog, Brandy, on this trip.

The next day, we enjoyed lunch with Matt's side of the family...

Aunt Cindy

 Carrie and Wayne

Aunt Sherry

Dean, Missy and Griffin

On our final night in town, we had dinner with our combined families- Fong's pizza for a third time!

 Great-grandpa-to be

And finally, a sweet video of Uncle Matt and Lena...

 

 We had a great trip home and are already looking forward to our next trip back to introduce everyone to our daughter!

Week in Wiesbaden

Although we loved our three years of village life here in Germany, we really enjoyed spending our final week in Wiesbaden, a spa town located about 45 minutes from our house. Our hotel had a fitness room and spa and was located within walking distance of downtown. Our friends Elizabeth and Alan live about two blocks from our hotel and graciously opened their home to us for internet, laundry, and FIFA World Cup viewing. They've also been taking us to some of their favorite restaurants in town. We especially enjoyed Sherry & Port, a quaint tapas restaurant in a quiet neighborhood park with outdoor seating around a fountain; and Mykonos, a greek restaurant where Liz and Alan are regulars, which meant that we were treated to complimentary ouzo, yogurt and honey, and freshly made Baklava. 

Sherry & Port

As mentioned previously, the FIFA World Cup tournament was going on during our final week. This was a great opportunity to witness everyone gather outdoors to watch the games as a community.

On Sunday, we had a picnic in the park with friends in Wiesbaden. The picnic was held in Kurpark, filled with mature trees, wide pathways, ponds, and fountains right in the middle of the city. People brought cheese, crackers, veggies, fruit, salads, and desserts to share as well as blankets and lawn games for entertainment. It was a beautiful day- warm in the sun, but pleasantly breezy in the shade- and we were able to say goodbye to many of the friends we've made over the past few years in Germany.

 












That night, we returned to Sherry & Port for a light dinner and on the way back to our hotel, snagged a distant photo of the Wiesbaden train station where I passed through on my commute during this past year.

We had a great time with everyone during our last days in Germany and will miss you all! Tschuss!

The Move

After two weeks of throwing away, selling, cleaning, and organizing our belongings, the movers have come and gone and our home-sweet-home in Germany is just as we found it- empty! We are officially moved out of our house and will be staying in a hotel in Wiesbaden for our remaining time in Germany. Here are some pictures from our move:

Waiting for the truck to arrive...

Everything we own is packed in seven of these crates, which will then be loaded into containers and shipped across the ocean to Japan. It could take up to 90 days for everything to arrive...let's hope we have at  least a week to unpack before the baby is born!

Three Years

Time for a summary of our third year of travel in Europe! Although we didn't see too many new counties during year three (England, Russia, and Monaco), we returned to many previously visited countries for more touring and/or skiing:

Germany (Wiesbaden, Rudesheim, Michelstadt, Miltenberg, Mannheim, Weinheim, Stuttgart, Garmisch, Munich, Berchtesgaden, Heidelberg, Koln)
England (London)
Russia (St. Petersburg)
Italy (Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Sorrento, Capri)
Austria (Lech, Zurs, St. Anton)
France (Chamonix)
Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Spain (Barcelona, Mallorca)
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
U.S.A. (Iowa, Nebraska)

...which brings us to 15 European countries visited in a little less than 3 years!

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
Russia
Spain
Switzerland

It's pretty surreal that three years have come and gone so quickly! When we moved to Germany, we were certain that we would love the travel opportunities and new experiences, but we had no idea that we would work on/complete graduate school, make this many good friends, begin the journey to parenthood, and learn so much about ourselves. In the past three years, we've spent more together (and more time apart) than we ever could have anticipated, and I wonder if there's anything quite like moving to a foreign country with no friends or family to reaffirm the comfort and trust that you find in your significant other.  We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to see this much of Europe, and that many of our friends and family were able to visit us during this time.

Our travels have left us wanting to see more, not just of Europe, but of  the rest of the world. Fitting then that we are moving to Japan in August for another three-year adventure! Although we don't expect to see quite as many different countries in Asia as we have as we have as two free-wheeling travelers in Europe, we still plan to make travel a priority, especially now that we know just how quickly  three years goes by. Stay tuned!

With all of this back-to-back travel, I have found that I have to consciously set aside a moment to take a mental snapshot of  whatever architectural structure, artistic masterpiece, or natural landscape is right in front of my face to guard against going through the motions, getting stuck behind the camera, or otherwise not fully taking in the beauty that is before us. So, as this adventure comes to an end and our next one begins, I am hopeful that we will move forward with the intention to really value the present moment- throughout our travels as well as in our daily lives.

Catch up!

For the first time in a long time, we are all caught up on the blog!

Check out posts from Jessica and Ben's trip to Munich, Berchtesgaden, and Heidelberg in March 2010 as well as a some pictures of my hike around Schloss Heilegenberg in April 2010.