currently.

Iris and Pooh bucked up for safety on our flight to Germany!

Located... in Germany! My family arrived in Germany about three days ago after a long 24 hours of traveling from North Carolina. Little Iris did a great job considering the circumstances. None of us got much sleep that day but transitioning to the +7 hours has since been fairly easy.

Reading... a new book called How to Raise Your Spirited Child, which I often found referenced online in relation to conscious parenting techniques. The author describes a spirited child as being one who seems, in one way or another, more "intense" than their peers. While Marius and I haven't exactly experienced trouble with parenting Iris, her mature emotions and personality can be baffling. Her fine motor skills and comprehension skills seem beyond the typical range. By picking up How to Raise Your Spirited Child, I hope to learn more constructive ways to understand and interact with her by letting her be herself, rather than inadvertently dampening her spirits.

Watching... Winnie the Pooh. This is Iris' new favorite thing in the world. After one viewing of the original movie, she knew to ask for "more Pooh!" We surprised her with a big Pooh stuffed animal when we boarded the 8 hour flight over the pond to Germany and she's just smitten with him.

Listening to... the sounds of the country; the breeze shifting leaves, foreign bird song, the all-around lack of urban drivel otherwise known as Quiet. We are currently residing in a hotel like place (which is actually more suitable to call an apartment) where Marius is now stationed. It has a full kitchen and living room, two bedrooms and bathroom. The living room has massive screened doors and windows. It's in the low 60's right now, but all of them are wide open to let us bask in the aura of this country, even whilst inside on a military base.

Anticipating... moving into our own home. We went house hunting for the first time yesterday and may have found our dream home. We were given two huge books of housing information by the housing office and I must have spent a collective three hours trying to sort through the hundreds of places listed there. One particular place called out to me as soon as I read it, and I kept going back to it, double starring it to denote that we needed to visit it. We called to make an appointment and got no answer. Later that day, after visiting two other duplex-style houses, we were about to call it quits for the day when they called us back! We arranged a time but due to road closures, the GPS routed us through the mountains on a logging road which was almost dangerous and ended in a dead-end. After an hour of trekking through the woods and other detours, we made it there. The house was built in the late 1700's next to the town's church. It was originally a parsonage, but is now owned by the church and rented out. It has two main floors with 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, living room, dining room, and a kitchen with new appliances. There is also a huge attic space, as well as a full cellar. It has that Old House Smell I love so much, creaky staircases, vastly high ceilings, some ancient looking tiled floors and an atmosphere of history. We are going back today and will very likely be making an agreement with the landlord!

Enjoying... some great German food! We went to our first German restaurant last night with our tour guide from yesterday (a coworker of Marius') and his wife. I ordered schnitzel with peppercorn sauce and cheese, while Marius ordered it with sauteed onions, tomatoes and cheese. So delicious and Iris loved it too! The food here is so much better than what is generally found in the States. I am unsure whether is has to do with the difference between normal and GMO food, or the land on which food is produced, or what have you... but the difference is profound. Marius thought I was crazy the night we got back from the commissary with some local strawberries and I said, "yes! Some real strawberries! They will be better than anything we've had in years!" He voiced his doubt over my exclamations, but upon my placing of a strawberry in his mouth, the marked expression of delight on his face was enough to prove my point.

Concerned about... our Kitty. He is still in North Carolina, having been unable to get on the flight that was supposed to bring him here two days after us. He is staying with a trusted friend, though I still miss him and worry about the stress that all of this change is putting on him. Dealing with his situation of having to be imported to Germany has been an absolute nightmare for us and our friend caring for him, between the regulations causing time issues and the expense. I will write more on this later, as it is a long story. As of this moment, he should be here next Thursday. We are all hoping that plans are not altered again by any other unforeseen circumstances.

Now that half of our moving process has been completed and we are finally overseas, I will have more time and attention to devote back here. I have missed writing and I surely have some updates about Iris to catch up on!