November 09, 2016

Our First 100 Days

November 09, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

The first 100 days are said to be significant. Not sure who, exactly, but let's go with it. Today, it has been 100 days since we returned from the Germany and started the next chapter of our lives in Texas. In that time, we have grappled with not only reverse culture shock, but culture shock in general. In case you didn't know, Texas is not quite the same as the north. So, what are some of the thoughts that crossed our minds in the last 100 days? What are some of the things we miss, and some of the things we are glad to have back?

June 21, 2016

Our Next Adventure

June 21, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Two years ago, we were spending our last summer in Michigan for the foreseeable future. We packed up and sold our home, spent weeks, if not months, saying good bye to friends and family, and went on one heck of a two week dive and road trip in the Upper Peninsula. It was stressful to say the least, but we were excited for what lay in store for us in Germany. We knew we wanted to travel and explore the heck out of our new, albeit, temporary home. But, we also always knew that the time would come when we would have to leave. At first, we were only supposed to be here about 16 months. As we got closer to the 16 month mark, our time here kept getting extended. But now, the time has come for us to leave.

April 01, 2016

Applying for an Infant Passport

April 01, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Less than 6 weeks after Evelyn was born, Aaron and I had a big trip back to the US scheduled. Tickets were bought months before she was born in order to take her back to meet her grandparents, aunts, and uncle for the first time, and to be baptized. But, in order for her to actually travel, she first needed a US passport. And, since she was born in Germany, we needed to first establish that she was a US citizen. Thankfully, it ended up being a fairly simple process, but as with anything involving the government, it didn't appear that way at first. Here, we will take you through the forms and process to apply for citizenship and a passport for a baby born outside of the US.

March 04, 2016

Evelyn's Birth

March 04, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Her due date was January 22. We had waited for months for our baby to make his or her arrival (we did not find out the gender, we wanted to be surprised!). Each day was spent in quiet anticipation, with my patience getting shorter and shorter each day. I couldn't wait to meet this tiny human....and not be pregnant anymore. Her due date came and went. I tried everything to coax her out - raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on an exercise ball, listening daily to a special hypnosis track that was supposed to make the baby come out, I went for walks, climbed stairs, and ate more pineapple than I care to admit. None of it worked.

December 02, 2015

American Thanksgiving in Germany

December 02, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Fall is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. I love the cooler weather, the colorful leaves, the crisp feel the air gets, the way the sun seems to shine softer on everything, and the smells of the season - from apples to pumpkin to that special smell of the leaves after they have fallen from the trees. Some of the best times, and best memories, happen in the fall. It starts on my birthday, continues with our anniversary, is followed by Halloween and finally Thanksgiving. For many, Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. It is the turning point from fall leaves to winter snow; it ushers the coziness of fireplaces, flannel pajamas, family, and the warm smells of Christmas. While many Germans are starting to visit the local Christmas markets (which opened this weekend), Aaron and I, some German friends of ours, and Aaron's cousin (who is currently living near Munich), celebrated a belated, traditional American Thanksgiving!

October 30, 2015

Home Stretch, Baby!

October 30, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

I honestly cannot believe that as of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant, which means I have entered into the third trimester. Wait...what? Third trimester? Seriously, where did the time go?! I feel like it was just a few days ago that I found out I was pregnant, and then that we were sharing the news with everyone. But, since I'm closing in on the final stretch, I figured it was time to give you all an update.

September 15, 2015

Naming a German

September 15, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Almost immediately after Aaron and I first found out that I was pregnant, we started discussing names. I mean, naming a human is kind of a big deal. That name sticks with them for life (well, in most cases it does), so you have to make sure it's the perfect choice. We wanted something classic, but not overused; uncommon enough to make it fairly unique, but nothing that people would have trouble pronouncing or snicker at after an important job interview. I mean, there are definitely some interesting names out there, but how hard is it to take someone serious when they have a name like Abcde (pronounced ab-se-dee), or Xena?