hiking in the alps

sorry for the picture overload today. we are back from our weekend trip to bavaria and i thought i'd give you a few reasons you should save up your moneysss for a nice little german vacation.

my parents live very close to a city called stuttgart in the state of baden-württemberg in southern germany. from there it takes about 2,5 hours to get to a part of the state bavaria called allgäu. my grandparents used to own a vacation home here so i spent many of my childhood vacations there, learning to ski, swim and hiking through the mountains.
the landscapes are beautiful and you are also very close to austria and switzerland.

we did a couple of shorter tours since logan had to be carried. i ended up getting around carrying him completely as my husband, brother and mama volunteered. unfortunately jason injured his back somehow and the second tour had to be a much shorter one. he is still recovering, walking like an old man and grunting with every move...

i realized how badly i need to get back into shape when we hiked down a super steep cow field and my leg muscles started to spaz out on me. yeah i'm still sore.

best parts about this mini vaca:

we got to pet cows on our hikes (they didn't like me)
eat warm home made cheese cake
went out to dinner where men in bowler hats stole the show and gifted Logan with a huge decorated ginger bread heart
my dad cooked a yummy goulash one night and we ate on the balcony with a gorgeous view
we took logan to the pool and he loved the water slides
listening to thunderstorms
fresh mountain cheeses OMG!
on sunday we celebrated our 7 year anniversary with a dinner date and some yummy ice cream


have you ever been to the alps/bavaria/germany before?

stripes and cheeks and sunshine my friends

on a gloomy, rainy day like today i like to think back to this amazing weekend when it was hot and sunny and we spent the afternoon in the pool. 

logan stayed in the water for an hour and a half which is absolutely unprecedented and unexpected. the usual process includes me spending half an hour to get him all ready, lathering on the sunscreen etc... and then he decides that instead of staying in the water he'd rather explore the patio. 

so believe me i was excited i got to spend so much time drooling over those baby cheeks in those striped little pants and listening to him laugh while trying to steal my hat and sunglasses. plus i got to work on my non-existing tan, ha! 

what that iphone has to say about germany

just a few pictures of what we've been up to here in Germany before we all head into the weekend :)

lots of good food... oh that food!!
fun by the pool (never lasts very long unfortunately)
hanging out with the bestie - miss her
ice cream
shopping (oh zara I want to buy everything in your store)
walks
flea market finds ( we got a little out of hand)
the farmers market
many many soccer games
coffee dates with my mom and the little mister - coffee for us, brezel for him
spending time with family and friends
reading a few books :)) makes me soooo happy!

how-to: packing a suitcase - essential items to bring and tips for airline travel

Traveling abroad is a frequent occurrence for this bi-cultural family, traveling for work is a weekly thing for the hubs and when we feel extra adventurous we throw in a few trips within the US as well. You could say we've become pretty experienced when it comes to all sorts of travel, may it be by car, bus, plane and yes, even train.

So today you will get to learn about my secrets to packing the perfect suitcase for a early summer vacation to Germany. Why? Well because that's just where travel has taken me once again...

First things first: 

• Space Bags!!! Get them, use them and be amazed at how much can fit into that one small suitcase you are currently permitted to take with you on international air travel (free of charge). They work with your vacuum to suck all the air out of the bag, leaving you with a neat "block" of clothes. Surprisingly, if you fold everything neatly, the clothes will come out hardly wrinkled at all. Of course this will not magically cut the weight of all your stuff in half but it will help you keep things organized. The bags even come in different sizes so you can really get down to the nitty gritty of dividing and organizing.

• Make sure you know what you're allowed to take with you and how much it can weigh. The weight limit for a suitcase when we left was 50lbs, one per person, a carry-on as well as a personal bag. I will go into detail on traveling with an infant/toddler in another post soon.

Now what to pack into that suitcase:

It obviously depends very much on the weather at your destination, reason for travel and the season in which you'll be traveling. The weather here in southern Germany is very similar to the weather we have in western Pennsylvania. Leaving at the very beginning of June and returning in mid July, I was expecting some nicer spring weather which would hopefully turn into full on summer at some point during the trip.  This is what I packed:

• pair of comfortable wide leg jeans
• pair of skinny jeans
• pair of colored denim
• pair of comfortable cropped pants made from a light cotton

• light cotton short sleeve sweater
• sweatshirt
• 2 cardigans
• blazer

• gingham shirt
• plaid shirt
• patterned tee
• white tee
• gray tee
• two long sleeve shirts
• cute tank top

• flowy pleated skirt
• colored denim skirt
• maxi skirt
• khaki shorts
• denim cut-offs
• knee length shorts

These are the basic items I would pack for a trip like this. 

In general I recommend you pack something for every sort of weather because you just never know what's going to happen.

Other items to pack:

• rain coat/umbrella
• a simple purse or bag that goes with everything 
• shoes: flats, sandals/flip-flops, a pair of comfortable heels and shoes you can walk in for a while like tennis shoes or sneakers
• toiletries (pack in your suitcase to avoid the hassle with TSA)
• a hat (rain or shine)
• a light scarf (great on a long flight and to keep warm)
• of course don't forget the socks and underwear ;)
• swimwear 
• sunglasses and sunscreen
• camera
• hair dryer if your hotel doesn't have one
• chargers and international power adapters

Tips:

• i always fill extra space with additional tops. especially for a summer trip they are super light and small and you can always use another shirt.
• don't overpack and leave some room for souvenirs or clothes you may buy while abroad or even just in another city.
• bring a luggage scale to avoid costly charges for excess baggage or overweight bags
• when traveling abroad with connecting flights pack an overnight bag (carry-on) in case you get stuck. unfortunately, you may miss a connecting flight and get booked on a flight that doesn't leave until the next day. be prepared for the possibility of spending a night in an airport hotel or even the terminal.
• always wear layers on a long flight and bring a blanket if you get cold easily or if you're grossed out by airplane blankets and pillows. 
• pack a snack - airplane food is horrible!
• bring disinfecting wipes and wipe down your general area. you don't want a cold during your vacation. 
• leave expensive jewelry at home to avoid losing it or possibly having it stolen.
• if you're in the market for a new suitcase buy one in a bright color or pattern. yes, it may not look that great or match your sense of style but you will never search for your suitcase between all those black lookalikes at the baggage claim anymore. you can thank me later ;) 
• make sure to put your address inside your suitcase as well as on the outside. memorize or write down the brand, size and color in case your bag gets lost and you have to give a description. 

Most of all: ENJOY YOUR TRIP :)


I'd be happy to answer questions so comment away or send me an email.

the life of the jet setting family

if you're into rating your days on a scale of 1- 10, thursday was kind of a bummer for us. probably a 3 or a 4. we had to say goodbye for a whole month as the hubby left for another road trip and the rest of us will be leaving for germany in a few days until he finally meets up with us there in july. needless to say, the whole preceding week was somewhat overshadowed by impending departures. 

i hate that feeling of restlessness that always creeps up in me before an upcoming trip. we are such frequent travelers you'd think it wouldn't phase me anymore... but that nervous feeling deep down in my stomach still makes a return every time. i get stressed out over things i still have to get done before we leave and totally overwhelmed to the point of where i just want to crawl into bed and curl up in a ball to hide from the pressure of leaving my life behind for 6 weeks. 

i worry about packing, that we will forget something important, about the house and the dogs, my garden, bills getting paid on time, the hubby being by himself - missing his little guy and me (hopefully) ;)... oh, you get the point! 

don't get me wrong, i look forward to each and every trip, my family, all the things i miss when i'm here at home but i hate the days leading up to it. 

so thursday was one step closer to me feeling normal again. does that sound weird? not seeing my husband for a whole month brings me closer to feeling normal again? 

well, the way i see it, it is just an inevitable part of our life. it will always be this way and i have accepted it and learned to deal with all the craziness that comes with being a bicultural family. we started out like this and we continue to be torn between two places. 

once my feet step off that plane and all our bags have safely arrived at the baggage claim i know the real excitement will set in. that's when i relax and i'll be ready to take it all in once again. that's when i'm home again. 

dear husband

dear husband,

tomorrow is the day i've been secretly and lately quite openly dreading since last season ended this past october. tomorrow is home opener and with that comes a full 6 months of almost non-stop work and way too much traveling for you. i know you love what you do and i am so very grateful for all that you do for our little family. i know we are blessed beyond measure in so many ways, including your job that provides us with much more than just the basics. we've had such a great six months at home, traveling, being spontaneous and deciding what we wanted to do on a day to day basis. very few people get to spend this much time simply enjoying their family life and not worrying about making money. i look forward to joining you on a few trips again this year, so that you don't have to miss us too much. i know you will. i know it will be hard being away from us so much and maybe missing out on a few milestones. as i say "don't worry about that" i have to smile because you are such a worry wart when it comes to your family. probably even more than when you unnecessarily worry about whether you're doing a good enough job at work - babe you are phenomenal!

please know that there is one thing you should never worry about and that is whether you're being the best dad and husband you can be. the last year and a half since i got pregnant, has been such a whirlwind.
 again we have accomplished more than i ever thought we would and you have turned into that amazing father i knew you would be. logan and i are both so lucky to have you supporting us in everything we do, even my crazy little escapades ;) you put a smile onto that little guy's face every time he sees you and he loves you so much.

so when you start to feel lonely on the road, or you think you're not doing a good enough job being a dad, husband or even at work, know that we will always be right here for you. we're not ever going anywhere and you don't have to worry about those things at all. you are the best and we already look forward to having you back to ourselves in october.

you know i'll have all of our vacations planned by the end of the season and a new honey-do list will be waiting for you :)

be safe, work hard, don't worry about the things you cannot change, relax (at least try).
we love you

soph&lo

a day at the zoo

while we were in florida we spent an afternoon at the florida aquarium in tampa. if you've ever been to the atlanta aquarium this one surely won't knock your socks off, but it was nonetheless a nice day out for us. they have a great outdoor play area with water fountains, sandboxes and a cafe. once the little mister gets a little older i think he will enjoy coming here again and spending some more time. 

now that we're back home we've been working on getting the vegetable garden all set up. i spent a few hours outside getting the soil ready and planting the first onion sets and some lettuce seeds. tomorrow i want to get the peas in the ground and then i am hoping we won't get any more frost so that i can fill the rest of the beds up. i am so excited for my very first vegetables this summer :) 

do you have a vegetable garden? any tips you'd like to share?