De Halve Maan Brewery Tour in Bruges

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De Halve Maan Brewery Tour in Bruges

People often think of four things when they think of Belgium - waffles, fries, chocolate, and, of course, beer. We ate plenty of the first three while in Bruges, and toured a brewery to make sure we got the full experience for the latter. In Bruges, there is a 150 year old, family owned, brewery that offers multiple tours a day in multiple languages. It's called De Halve Maan, which means crescent moon in Dutch. We opted for their "XL" tour which lasts twice as long as their normal tour and includes a sampling of not one of their beers, but four. It was an easy decision :)

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Walking Tours in Bruges

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Walking Tours in Bruges

For the last weekend in February, a friend and sorority sister of mine visited us in Germany. After picking her up at the airport bright and early Friday morning, we drove directly to Bruges, Belgium. Our original plan was to spend a day in Bruges, and then a day in Ghent, but in researching things to do in Bruges, we decided there was too much to see and do and a one day visit would not do the city justice. So while I was bummed about having to cancel plans to visit Ghent, the silver lining is that we have at least one more trip to Belgium - one more chance to eat Belgian chocolate and waffles and drink Belgian beer. So really, not a problem at all.

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Evelyn's Birth

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Evelyn's Birth

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.

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Newest Addition

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Newest Addition

I know that it's been quiet here on the blog for the past couple of weeks, and I sai it was for a very good reason. On January 31, we welcomed our daughter and newest dive buddy into the world! Much to Mom's discomfort, she was 8 days late, but was perfect and healthy. We are slowly settling into our new normal where the nights are longer, but our days are fuller.

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10 Tips for First Time Travelers to Europe

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10 Tips for First Time Travelers to Europe

Any trip, whether domestic, international, or even within a few hours from your home, can be exciting, and stressful, if your not prepared. I remember back to my first trip abroad. I was 17 (oh my gosh, that was over 10 years ago, #ifeelold), fresh out of high school, and I was going with a group organised through my school. Best of all, my sister and I were going together and we were going to England! Needless to say, we were excited, but also nervous. Between the flight, the time change, the new currency, and new foods, we weren't exactly sure what to expect.

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Knutfest: Christmas Tree Throwing

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Knutfest: Christmas Tree Throwing

The Christmas tree has a unique tradition in Germany. In fact, it is where the Christmas tree started. Originally, a pine tree was cut from the local forest around Christmas eve, brought inside, lit with real (!) candles, and decorated. Not much has changed in how the Germans utilize a Christmas tree. While some opt for a fake tree, or one with electric lights for slightly less of a fire hazard, many of them still put up their tree on Christmas Eve and decorate it then. It remains decorated until January 6, known to many as the Epiphany, when the three wise men arrived to honor the birth of Jesus. After that, the trees are taken down, and most are discarded by the local refuse collection. However, in one small town in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz, a more interesting and festive way has emerged - Knutfest, a Christmas tree throwing competitions!

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10 Ridiculous Things My Husband Has Said During My Pregnancy

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10 Ridiculous Things My Husband Has Said During My Pregnancy

Today, I am exactly 40 weeks pregnant. The biggest lie told to pregnant women is that pregnancy is 9 months. False. It's 10. 10 long, sober, sushi-less, sometimes uncomfortable, months. I cannot wait for this baby to be out so that I can enjoy a glass of red and a giant plate of sushi, but at this point, I think I will be pregnant forever. I'm sure every pregnant woman says that, but after 10 months, it definitely feels that way. However, pregnancy isn't all terrible, it has provided ample fodder for some pretty laughable comments from my beloved husband.

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