Our family trip to Germany and France-Part 1

Yes, I know, I said I would post over the weekend about our Europe trip and here it is Wednesday. I've been a very busy lady. Forgive me!

So, we started our 2 week long trip in Frankfurt and we ended our trip in Frankfurt. Our flight was about 9 hours long...phew!! And with a 16 month old, every minute that passed without tears or fussing was a victory. E did very well on the flight to Frankfurt. She napped, snacked, and nursed mainly. We brought toys and a coloring book for her to play with but she really wasn't interested. She was more interested in waving at the other passengers seated around us.
Once we arrived in Frankfurt since it was a Sunday (though we left on Saturday), we were told by our apartment host that all shops would be closed and we should by food at the airport grocery store, then head to our place. That was a bit of a task. We had to first get our luggage, find the grocery store-we asked around, then board our train to downtown Frankfurt, then catch the tram to our flat. We were all exhausted and hungry by the time we got there, as you can see from the picture in the train station.  (We used airbnb.com to book our lodging, which was WONDERFUL! We booked entire flats in both locations, but at one point had a last minute changed and shared a flat with other guests, which was no big deal.)
B and I LOVED the food in Germany. During our first visit there we bought food and made meals from the grocery store, ate street food, and had milkkaffe and little tapas at a local cafe. We visited Romer Square our first and second day there and fell in love. We walked over their version of the love bridge, lined with tons of locks. We loved the ease of commuting in Frankfurt. Public transportation could take you anywhere, for just a couple bucks. Everywhere was also very stroller friendly. We can't really recall anywhere in Frankfurt where it was not stroller accessible. We used a combination of my rebozo purchased on Etsy, our Ergo, and our SUPER light and compact QuickSmart backpack stroller. (This stroller is small enough to fit on your lap in a taxi, an overhead bin, and can be folded in about 5 seconds flat...no lie!!) We saw families all over when we were in Frankfurt. Even on Sundays, when most shops are closed, families are still walking around watching musicians play, snacking on street food, window shopping (the mall is open but all of the stores are closed, funny huh?), and just socializing. Everyone stays up very late as well, the sun didn't go down until about 9pm in Germany...and 10pm in Paris!!

Here are some pics of the first leg of our trip...Enjoy!!

E playing as we wait to board for Germany.

After our 9+hr flight

After finally getting groceries and waiting for the train.

Frankfurt's love bridge.

B and E exhausted. 

Eating dinner in our flat.

 After 1 1/2 days in Frankfurt, we headed to Paris for 10 days. We took the DB Bahn bullet train. The DB Bahn (RER) station had this AMAZING food court. Not like any American food court I have ever seen. Everything was freshly made. They had a German, Thai, Japanese, Italian (they made the food in front of you), and Scandinavian restaurant. There were multiple little bakeries and a frozen yogurt shop. They even had a juicing restaurant stocked full of fresh fruits and veggies. All in a food court!...I think that place needed to be called something else. Food court doesn't do it justice. They were also eco-friendly. Their were no plastic utensils, just metal or wooden. And they used recycling bins.

We found these all fruit smoothies everywhere.

Eating delicious German food at the RER station.

German food

German food again

More German food...See those potatoes, back left...YUM!

We were able to book the private family cabin for our ride, no extra charge. It was such a blessing. It's sound proof and gave E plenty of room to run around.  It was just us 3 and this great guy we met named Gregor. B and him chatted the WHOLE way to France, about everything from politics, the World Cup, socialism, his French girlfriend, to American vs. German vs. French health care.. He was also nice enough to let us use his phone when we got to Paris to call our host. Thanks Gregor!

Our private family cabin on the train. 

Au revoir Frankfurt!

Until next time!

-Anjelica

I've been MIA!

So, as many of you know we were in Europe last time I posted; and since then we have returned, packed up our PR home, moved to a temporary place, E and I moved out of the temporary place, flown stateside, and have been in VA for about 2 weeks...Let's just say it's been crazy! I'm planning on doing a post this weekend where I tell the highlights of our trip to Germany and France as well as share LOTS of pics! I took a ton! I will also be posting soon about how our final packout went and the beautiful temporary place we stayed at before coming back to the states...So, stay tuned.

-Anjelica

Throwback Thursday!

Oh yeah, I didn't forget! Here's a new Throwback photo. I hope you enjoy.

Guess who that is on the far right?

Is B not THE CUTEST little boy ever???!!! Look at his hair? It's so light! Obviously, he looks nothing like this now. He's much more manly and rugged now. It's crazy to see how people change over the years.

-Anjelica

Throwback Thursday #4

This is me (far right) with my two younger sisters. Yep, I'm the oldest. We are all wearing our church t-shirts in this photo. We were living in Italy at the time.

-Anjelica

IKEA Storage

With a one year old running around, our house perpetually looks like a homegoods war zone. B and I can never find the right remote control when we need it. We discover long lost toys underneath furniture almost daily after a quick vacuum of the living room. Laundry is always piled up somewhere and purses and diaper bags have no where to be hung. Because our little E is so curious and adventurous most things that we want to keep track of end up on our beautiful farmhouse table (that B made for the family).

Since IKEA opened a flagship store here in Puerto Rico, B and I have taken full advantage of obtaining plenty of storage for our new home in Guam. We've never lived near an IKEA store before and use to love visiting their store whenever we traveled to VA to see my family. We typically would peruse the aisles dreaming about things that we would buy for our future home.

But no more need to dream. IKEA has decided to grace us with her presence here in the Caribbean. I thought I would share with you guys some of the items we purchased for our new home. I will also post a picture of our table with its usual mess atop it and then an updated photo of it when we get to Guam and show you all how we are using our IKEA storage units.

                                                                           Item #1 

I plan on using this in E's room as low storage. The smaller unit is wall mounted and I plan on hanging it at a level she can reach. I would like to have her room very Montessori learning inspired. One part of implementing that is placing things at her height so that she can access them on her own and at her will.  Another aspect of Montessori is presenting items of play and learning in an appealing way. So thrown in an unmarked basket or scattered on the floor (our current approach) won't work. 

Item #2

This is mama's home learning storage unit. I plan on teaching E while we are at home together (read about it here) and so I bought this to place in her closet. I will store materials and supplies in here. 

Item #3

This will be our new coffee table. We will probably store remotes in the drawer and books for E in the cubby holes.

Item #4

Hopefully we can keep shoes on this rack and not scattered across the house. E loves to pick up our shoes and run around with them. I know she can still access them here, but I like the idea that they have a designated shelf and I can teach her where they go. I think it's harder for a child to understand proper placement of something when an item is just placed on the floor in "this area". An actual shelf is a more tangible concept.

Item #5

Our major defense in the homegoods war. I would like to paint this a bright canary yellow. 

Items #6

We purchased two of these. They will be used as night stands in our bedroom. I like that they are portable; therefore I can clean around and under them easily. 

So, there you have it. Let's see how this storage war ends. I will post photos later of before and afters of our living room. 

We also purchased a rug, lightweight quilt, large full length mirror, bed frame, picture frames, lamp, and hanging seat for E. If you would like for me to post about my other purchases let me know. 

-Anjelica

Hello from Germany!

Me, E, and B after our 9 hr. flight.

One thing I LOVE to do is travel. I've expressed this to B multiple times. And when we began thinking about expanding our family a major concern I had was that we wouldn't get to travel. I really want to see Africa, Greece, Southeast Asia, and of course as much of Europe as possible. Well, let's just say God knows the desires of our heart and loves to bless us (when according to His will) when ever possible. God blessed me with a husband who cherished my dream to travel. About 10 months after having my daughter, B said to me, "Let's book a trip." I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. He said we could go anywhere I wanted. We both have desired to visit Europe together, since we had been individually previously. After going over our finances, looking at the time we had to spend there, and  how it would be to travel from country to country, we settled on Germany and France this go 'round. The planning and implementing of this trip hasn't been without it's share of disagreements and compromise, though I believe all in all it's going to be well worth it.  We hope to come back again and traverse Scandinavia.
So here we are 5 months later living a dream! I feel beyond blessed and so excited to spend Mother's Day with my family doing something I was told and almost believed wasn't possible with kids.
Until next time, Happy Mother's Day!

-Anjelica

A Home in Transition...Take a peek!

Have you ever wondered what the home of a crafter, toddler mama, IKEA lover, military spouse, stay at home mom, and traveler looks like. Well here you go. It ain't pretty...at least not right now. I'm hoping to revamp our whole living situation once in Guam. There will be much more organization, storage, and intentional planning. Right now we are at a crossroads. E is more active than ever, I am trying to do some learning activities with her, I am getting more serious about blogging (not just here but also at Passionate, Mindful, and Content), B and I are finishing up Financial Peace each evening, we are removing everything from the walls, painting our outside patio, and we have LOTS of packing to do, which in turn means more laundry.

Our beautiful farmhouse table buried. 

Hopefully this makes you feel a little better about your home. I don't know if it can get worse than this (fingers crossed). If you have pics of your home in transition, show me, or let me know how you are dealing.



One thing makes it ALL worth it though!...Well two.

-Anjelica

Throw back photo #3

Fort Niagara, NY

B with an actor at the battle of Ft. Niagara reenactment camp. He was in heaven this day. 

Our Express Pack Out

 For those of you unfamiliar with how the military moves a member's goods; they send a shipping company to your house with guys to load up boxes with ALL of your belongings. This includes surfboards, large furniture, appliances, and pretty much anything else you want to bring with you to your new local. 

Because we are moving a LONG way away we have chosen to have two pack outs. One that will arrive before or soon after we get to Guam and one with the remainder of our belongings that will take about another month to arrive. Therefore, our express pack out contains items that will allow us to live semi-comfortably in our home with a minimal amount of things. We are not allowed to pack furniture in this shipment. B will most likely start work before we receive our large shipment. 

We had our express pack out last week and this is what we included.

1. sleeping bags
2. Tupperware, 4 cups, 2 mugs, 2 travel mugs, 2 bowls, 1 mixing bowl, cooking utensils, some silverware, and disposable utensils. 
3. large bed spread
4. pot rack (not sure this is a necessity)
5. laundry hamper containing sheets, pillow cases, and towels
6. frying pan
7. camping folding chairs
8. backing sheet and other baking pans
9. shower curtain and bath mats
10. crock pot and rice cooker

I'll be back in a few weeks to show you how our actual large pack out goes. Hopefully I can remember to take pics of the movers packing everything. I wanted to do that with the express pack out and forgot. I will also be posting soon about what we are bringing with us for our Euro vacation. 

-Anjelica

This is how I feel

I saw this quote on Pinterest and felt that it described so well my feelings about living like a gypsy. 

Do any of you feel this way too?

Let me know you're reading...

As I've mentioned before, it's VERY hard for me to keep up with blogging. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because I just am not motivated sometimes. But one thing I know will help, is if I hear back from you all that you liked a post, had different or similar feelings, are curious to hear about a specific aspect of our lives, etc...So leave comments, subscribe, or send me an email. I want to hear from you guys.

Thanks!!

-Anjelica

Throwback Thursday Photo #2

Back when Aoki was our baby.

Guam Welcome Packet

So, we received our Guam welcome aboard package. I was immediately excited when I felt how thick it was and saw how beautiful the cover image on the folder was. It includes so much information, from how to prepare for natural disasters, the base's resources, to maps of Guam and local restaurants.

Inside the Welcome Packet:

1. A phone number directory
2. Guam CULTURE & TRADITIONS dvd
3. Base Directory Map
4. Franko's GUAM Guide & Dive Map 
   
5. Experience GUAM magazine
6. Fleet and Family Support Center Manual
7. "Are You Prepared for a Typhoon?" pamphlet
8. a printed map of Guam's villages
9. Programs and Services pamphlet
10. NFAAS (Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System brochure
11. "I am. Are You?"Natural Disaster, Biological and Man Made Disasters, Acts of Terrorists pamphlet
12. 2013-2014 Stripes Annual Manual

The packet also featured some great ideas for activities to do with E. There are dance classes for children starting at 1 year old, gymnastics for kids starting at 3 years old, a really cool aquarium, and of course GORGEOUS beaches. I'm really excited to have multiple options of age appropriate activities to do with E. That is one thing that PR really lacks. There are very few educational or active places to take young children here. I also believe that with such a large and close knit English speaking community we will have plenty of available playmates for E.

This move is getting real now! We are excited and sad at the same time. It will be very tough to leave our church family, but great to begin this new journey.

-Anjelica