Yep, it's true! We gathered up our family, packed our bags, hopped on a plane, and now we're in Germany! Well, okay, it wasn't quite that simple but we HAVE officially arrived in Stuttgart. We took a leap over the pond and an even bigger leap off faith!
I must admit that, prior to now, I have not considered blogging ~ I didn't think I had anything to say that was worth reading by another person. I am rethinking this because (although it has only been one day) I am now without my beloved Droid. And this means I am without my rock solid, always reliable (and terribly attractive) comforting connection to my family and friends. We are working on the phone "Situation" but in the meantime, I have so many things to tell my family and friends and feel so far away and disconnected. I think blogging would be better than copying and pasting emails to all my peops! And I knew my Mom and friends would appreciate it more than me calling them collect!
So, thanks to all of my friends who have helped convince us to share our German Adventure via blog. And for all of our new friends who are following us over to Germany in the next few months, hopefully my experiences (good and bad) may be beneficial to you.
Our flight left Jacksonville, NC, airport at 2 PM Tuesday yesterday. We flew to our connection at Atlanta and took off at 6 PM for Stuttgart. We arrived at Germany at 9 AM. All of our flights were on time and we even got all of our luggage around 10 AM. We had a lot of luggage!!! 3 -50 pound duffle bags, 3 -50 pound suitcases, 3 carry-on bags and my purse, plus one of Mark's carry-ons got up 75 pounds which was his limit. We were fortunate enough to get all of the bags in Suzie's van. Suzie is our sponsor and she is amazing. We feel very fortunate!
When we first arrived yesterday, we got checked in at the Marriott and met the staff. We were taken to our rooms which are two adjoining rooms with a total of 4 beds about the size of a twin or slightly larger. We had bags and luggage everywhere. We decided to do go for a walk around the area and found a park and a BK with a person who knew some English and didn't completely destroy my Double Cheeseburger. Yum. It's the little things in life!
After exploring the area a little and getting some things knocked off our To Do list, we ate dinner at The Steakhouse at Marriott. Mark got a grilled steak and I got a signature German dish which was beef tip with a wine and onion brown gravy. They had pan friend potatoes. Also bread with oils ~ Meat and Potatoes ~ I think I am going to like this German way of eating!!!
My head feels very fuzzy, my eyes are bloodshot and I feel dehydrated. The time change is tough to get used to. We went for a swim and then went to bed. Getting to sleep was ok but everyone was restless with frequent wakenings. It's 2 AM on our clock but its really only 8 PM to my body. We stay in bed and try to tell our body that this IS the time we are supposed to be sleeping. Then I am lying there this morning at 10 AM not wanting to get up because my body thinks is 4 AM. It must take weeks to settle this problem!
I am hoping for a re-do tonight with a better outcome. Many things to do tomorrow. I will keep you posted! Goodnight all!
Heather- lovin this blog..i have one here too but i only wrote in it once. i was following my cousins adoption process. :)
ReplyDeleteim a southern girl too, and u speak like i think. i like it. LOL!
one question: i know with the time difference its sorta strange, but how many hours were you actually on the plane? also, what do u recommend to combat the jet lag?
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI read this to Phia, she said she misses Luke and wants him back in "Jacksonville North Carolina". Wishing you the best, stay in touch!
Lori Ready-Jaimes
Heather, I'm so glad you decided to do this!! It's a great way to keep up with you and still feel like I have you with me. When people move away you miss out on the little details of their lives and with blogging you don't have to!! I miss you Miss Heather!! Enjoy your adventure!
ReplyDeleteLORI ~ Tell Phia HI from me and Luke! There is a little girl who is 6 named Sophia at the hotel with us and she likes Luke! I do miss his school and all of his friends.
ReplyDeleteMARY ~ You have to Skype with me. It is the next best thing to living next door! I sent you a link. I must talk to you!
KRIS ~ Where do you fly out of? We left Atlanta at 6 PM and arrived in Stuttgart at 9 AM (it was 3 AM US time). So we were actually flying 9 hours. Get some Ambien! It helps to regulate your sleep schedule on this end. I woke up a lot during the night and was subsequently tired during the day. Then at 11 PM, my body thought it was 5 PM, so I wasn't tired yet. It took about a week to really have my energy back! I have worked out a few times and drinking lots of water helps. Drinking all the beer and wine probably didn't help but I still recommend it!
WOWO! I hope to find a place that fast when we move back. You will LOVE it there. You have to go to the poolin Sindelfingen. Lots of fun. I too have to kids a son that will be going to the hight shool and a daughter that will be in middle school. We will be there some time between Nov-Jan. I will keep up updated. I too am from the south. Florida born and raised. If you consider that the south. I do. :) Jenny
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