Home is where the heart is ... & other expat lessons.

We have a bit of a travel break for the next couple of weeks which feels really good, actually. We've got lots of visitors and trips on the sched for September + October and are BEYOND excited to see some family and friends! Because the fall is going to be super busy, the next couple of weeks are a nice reprieve from packing & unpacking & repacking & unpacking. (Which, BTW, we know are really good problems to have!).

This more relaxed time at home has given me time to reflect both about our new life here in Germany and the things we miss about being in Kansas. We have lived in Germany as a family since the beginning of January, making this month 8 of our Euro adventure. I really feel like we have jumped in with both feet (well, actually 6 total feet), ready to embrace the excitement and the challenges of living abroad. And I also think we've made the most of our first 8 months when it comes to travel, experiencing/learning local life and taking opportunities to meet new people. We came into this with the intention of being open-minded, understanding that life WOULD be different. That culture & even the processes of life around us would be different and that these differences might not always feel good...and definitely wouldn't always feel easy. But the fact that we are living here on a temporary schedule makes the expat rollercoaster easier to accept and also motivates us to look beyond the not-so-easy parts and spend more time living in the positives. So, here we go... REAL TALK: what we are loving & not-so-loving about our new life in Germany. An inside-look at our day-to-day.

THINGS WE LOVE...

HELLO EUROPE: We 100% love love love the opportunity we have for easy travel. We have seen places that I never dreamed I'd see. I have always enjoyed taking vacations, but I wouldn't say I was the adventurous travel-bug type, by any means. That has certainly changed. I know that the minute we move back to the US -- I will firstly make a Target run LOL -- but will secondly be planning a trip back to Europe. Traveling just makes me want to travel more. I want to go back to the places we've seen and see MORE of them. I want to find new places to visit and new things to do and new food to try. It is safe to say I have been bitten with the travel bug. HARD.

TASTY TREATS: You guys, the bakeries here are LEGIT. The breads and pastries and pretzels and coffees are just delicious. Now, I love me a good Starbies for a little taste of home, but there are beautiful, quaint and tasty shops on almost every corner. They are relaxing and lovely and I want to try them all! Also the quality of produce and meat are top notch. We totally notice a difference in the way things look & taste over here -- for the BETTER in many ways. Also, we're total sparkling water addicts now. We've already been talking about getting one of those soda machine things when we move back to the US. We heart bubbles.

PROST: Wine is Über cheap. 'Nuff said.

SPRECHEN SIE ENGLISCH?: I have been surprised and comforted by the kindness and helpfulness of the people I meet on a day to day basis. The transition to Germany was a more difficult one for me in comparison to Jason. He goes to the same office he traveled to when we lived in the US, speaks with people that are very proficient in English, etc. I am home with Asher, taking care of most of the household errands and need to find ways to keep us busy and entertained throughout the week. I have learned enough German to get by in stores & restaurants (actually received a compliment from someone the other day!! Woo!! Go me!!), but people have generally been really kind even when I am not able to communicate in German. Baby A & I attend an English-speaking playgroup that meets weekly, where I have made some friends that I hope to become better friends with during our time here. Asher and I have explored many of the towns around us and have discovered the best shopping spots (very improtant to Asher) & the only Chipotle in Frankfurt for when I am really needing some American in my life. lol.

(( PS A big thanks to my friend, Tammy, who helped bust me out of my comfort zone early on!!! ))

RECYCLING: LOL. This one sounds funny, but the Germans are like super avid recyclers. And we are learning a lot about how to be more conscientious with our waste. We have separate compartments and containers for various materials and actually take our glass to the town recycling bins (gasp!). So, I am happy that we'll be leaving with MUCH better habits than we had upon arrival.

FAM BAM: Without the distractions of our typically busy American social lives & the fact that I get to stay home with Baby A, we've really had some awesome family bonding moments. I never really thought I would be a SAHM, it wasn't in our family plan, but I feel SO SO SO grateful that I've had this chance. It's so cool to know that everything Asher is learning has come from me/us and he's just totally like my little buddy. Granted, as any parent can attest, there are days/times where I want to pull my hair out and start drinking at 2pm, but honestly I am so in love with the time I am getting with him. I am going to cherish it until forever.

THINGS WE MISS... - family & friends are a total given on this one. We miss you guys like crazy. I crave phone calls & FaceTimes & text messages & Insta stories & fb posts & emails & Snapchats...SO keep them coming :)

(Yes, Asher says that means you...)

TASTY TREATS AGAIN: lol. So, about German food...It's pretty yummy, for a meal or two, here and there, but what's a girl gotta do to get some QUESO??? There really aren't very many GOOD Mexican restaurants here. And before the move I didn't even realize I was such a major Mexican food fanatic. But. Turns out I am because that's all I want all day every day. Also, I just miss my go-to restaurants. Like when you're too tired to make dinner or just don't feel like cleaning up a mess, you have your go-tos. There are sushi & thai & pizza places in our town, but they're just not that GREAT. So I end up cooking A LOT. Which, is a good thing, in the end, but ya know. -- I did recently start going to a grocery store that has a few more of the American type options (pizza dough, etc) that are nice to have in a pinch.

GNO, PNO, MNO, HH - basically just NIGHTS OUT: I'll be totally honest, we haven't really tried to find babysitters. I am SURE that I could find someone trustworthy and reliable if I wanted to. But, we don't have crazy social lives here, so there aren't the normally-naturally occurring social events that would require a babysitter. And, our friends the Pearsons have a big family so we tend to just hang with them, with Asher - who loves the play time. We are also traveling FOOLS so when we actually are home, we are ready to relax/plan our next getaway. But 8 months in, we are starting to feel the need to get more time to ourselves as husband and wife. And I know it's great for Asher to have some time away from us too, to get used to being around others. My madre is coming next month (YAYYYY!!) & I know she'll just want to steal Asher so I am sure J and I will get some much needed NIGHTS OUT.

EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING: UGGHH, this is probably the most annoying thing...Stores in Germany are closed on Sundays & Holidays. Like ALL STORES even the grocery stores. I don't even know if I even really went the grocery store all that often on Sundays in the US, but just knowing you can is pretty awesome. For whatever reason, meal planning & diaper planning & wine planning for that ONE EXTRA DAY is totally obnoxious to me. lol. Restaurants are open, BUT, ahem, see TASTY TREATS AGAIN above...

P S: Some other random things:

-Jason would add SPORTS to this list, but I am more than happy to be sports-free, so I won't elaborate :)

-And when I see cute stuff on instagram, but they don't ship internationally thats like a major 🙄

-Tacos. Oh did I already mention that one?

-Fast laundry machines... our German washer/dryers take 10000 years. I already hate laundry. Sooooo its like an extra, double despise now.

-& Last, but certainly not least ... Watching Game of Thrones during its original airtime

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED...

Overall, you guys, I am so PROUD of US. As hubs & wifey, we are bonding in a totally new way. As a family, we are experiencing so many new things, making millions of memories (or at least millions of scrapbook pages in Asher's case) and on a personal level I have totally surprised myself. I have always been a really social person, but I am learning that I am also content at home. I am learning that I can handle more than I would have previously given myself credit for. I would NEVER have driven in a foreign country on a vacation, but here I am cruising around Germany on a daily basis. Like, WHAT? I am surrounded by non-English speakers - also on a daily basis - and somehow I am able to communicate and get sh*t done. I can just totally picture the past-life panic this would have caused me. I have made new friends. I have stayed in touch with old friends. I have been a source of advice for others traveling with babies. I have dipped into and found more of myself, through writing this blog. I have continued my Rodan + Fields business successfully despite being a world away from any potential customer. And I have made time for passion projects.

So. I guess that's it. Moral of the story. Every situation has its rose & thorn and there is truly value behind each. Even on the rough, tough, teary type days, I wouldn't change having this experience for anything.

Thanks for reading.

ever yours,

lindsey