Happy Mosel 2007

It's that time of year again...the start of FEST SEASON. On Sunday, June 3rd, Matt and I took part in the annual Happy Mosel event for the 2nd time (last year was our first year to Happy Mosel). Happy Mosel is reserved for one day out of the year where the entire road that winds along the Mosel River is shut down to all cars and is only used by bicyclists and rollerbladers. It's also the start of the fest season. Along the river, there are tons of food tents, beer trailers, and wine stands set up for everyone's nourishment needs. This year, we had a group of about 15-20 people Happy Mosel with us from Piesport to Bernkastle and back (about 30 miles total).

We had a fun time, although I couldn't do any cool tricks like ride without holding the handle bars (since I'm pregnant)! 30 miles doesn't sound very far on a bike, but my bum would tell you a different story!

Here are some pictures from Happy Mosel 2007. Matt was really fascinated by the fact that the Fire Station was selling wine and beer from inside the fire house garage. As you can see from the photos, they converted a part of the garage into a bar (you can see all their gear hanging in the background!). Oh, and there's nothing like having a cigarette machine mounted on the outside of a fire station...

Sopot, Poland

(this picture makes me look more preggers than I really was at the time!)

For Memorial Day weekend, Matt and I (along with about 16 other people from our squadron) went to the beach in Sopot, Poland. I didn't really know that there was a beach in Poland, but there is. Sopot sits up on the far northern coast of Poland on the Baltic Sea and is a huge European summer destination. Since it was only the end of May, there weren't too many tourists, so the beach wasn't too crowded. We really lucked out with the weather, as it was beautiful, sunny, and in the mid-high 70s the whole time we where there. To no one's surprise, it rained that entire weekend in Germany, so we didn't miss anything back home.

Matt and I had a fantastic weekend in Sopot. Being the beach bum that I am, I loved just sitting in the sun reading and Matt had a fun time hanging out with the rest of the group at the beach. When we weren't at the beach, we were taking in the luxuries of our hotel. The person who booked our hotel, Mehow, is best friends with Boose (a guy in Matt's flight and a friend of ours) and just happens to be Polish. Mehow moved to Boston when he was 6 and grew up in America (which is how he met Boose). After college four years ago, he moved back to Poland to teach English and be near family. Well, due to the fact that Poland isn't that far from Germany, Mehow has come to visit Boose a few times and has managed to come along on trips with everyone in the squadron. So, all of us are thus friends with Mehow--which was the main reason we all went to Poland for the weekend--to see Mehow.

Anyhow, Mehow booked our hotel for us and it was AMAZING. We pulled up to the hotel in our party bus and all of us were in shock, as our hotel was a 5-star luxury hotel that sat on the beach. It was AWESOME! We all had ocean view rooms, the beds were so comfortable, plus there was A/C. Here are some pictures of the outside of our hotel and the view of the beach from our room.

Before the trip, the guys had designated Saturday night as 'Money Night.' So, the guys had to wear suits and ties, the girls had to wear cocktail dresses, and we were to go out to dinner at a really nice restaurant and then go to the casinos afterwards. Since Matt's and my idea of fun has drastically changed in the past few months, we never made it to the casino at 1am, but we had a great evening with all the guys. Here's a picture of the group that was taken in front of our hotel on 'Money Night.' It was really a lot of fun to have everyone dressed up and looking sophisticated for the night.

We had a great relaxing weekend in Sopot and managed to get a light tan as well!

The ING Luxembourg Marathon

So, just when you thought we were crazy for running in one marathon this year, we went out on May 20th and ran in another one--the ING Luxembourg Night Marathon. Well, Matt RAN in another one and I walked the half. I wasn't planning on participating, but I figured that I could use a little bit of exercise (after being on 'bedrest' for 2-3 weeks) and I had already signed up and paid the entry fees a few months prior.

Well, walking a half marathon and running a half/full marathon are two different ball games. I think those 13.1 miles were the LONGEST 13.1 miles of my life! Luckily, I had a friend, Lee Anne, who also walked with me and kept the conversation flowing for the 3 hours that it took us to finish. Lee Anne's husband, Chris, ran with Matt in the full, so Matt had a running buddy to keep him company too.

Matt and Chris did great and Lee Anne and I finished (which was our only goal). Although, the Luxembourg police did try to kick us off the course once--as they said that the event 'was not a game and that we should either stop or run.' We just ignored them and kept walking--and we successfully were the LAST people to cross the finish line for the half marathon!

Finishing the marathon was the best part, as the race ended inside a stadium that was equipped with all sorts of lights, smoke machines, loud music, and screaming spectators. It was the COOLEST marathon finish that we will probably ever take part in...although the stadium had no A/C, so in a literal sense, it was incredibly steamy and hot inside. Above is a picture of the finish area before the marathon started (the crew was still putting it together only a few hours before the race started) and below is a picture of the course leading up into the stadium.

Sardinia

On May 10th, Matt and I took a quick weekend trip to the island of Sardinia. Sardinia sits off the Mediterranean coast of Italy (it's 'owned' by Italy) and is absolutely beautiful. This weekend get-away was a much needed trip, as Matt had been working 14-16 hour days for a few weeks straight and flying twice just about each of those days--so he needed to relax and I just wanted us to get to spend some time together.

Well, our objectives for the trip were accomplished, as we were able to relax, spend some great quality time together, and add yet another European location to our list of travels.

While in Sardinia, we ate some amazing coastal Italian food, seafood (our rule is that we only eat seafood if we're near a body of water or surrounded by an ocean/sea), and of course, gelato. Given that I'm not a big seafood eater and am pregnant, I was very selective about any seafood that I ate, so don't worry, it wasn't like I ate a pound of it each day! We were also really lucky to have beautiful weather while there (apparently it rained both the week prior and the week after), so we both came home with a little bit of a tan.

Since the island was so small, one of Matt's main requirements for the trip was that we rent a SMART car (they're these ridiculously small cars that people drive here in Europe). I thought it would be fun and we've both been wanting to rent one, so I didn't have any objections. Well, when we got to the Alghero airport, we were both bummed with the news that the rental car company didn't rent any of the small SMART cars (because there is no trunk or room for luggage), so the one we had rented was the FOURFOUR, the biggest of the fleet. As you can see, we got a beauty (lime green with a huge scratch/dent on the front and a missing hub cap)! We laughed about our FOURFOUR, but she was truly the perfect car for our trip.

Since weather was so nice on the day we arrived, Matt and I took the FOURFOUR out to a grotto north of Alghero. Not only was there a grotto to be seen, but about 700 stairs to go down and then back up (they wrapped around the coastal rocks). Here's a picture of me on some of the stairs. Since Matt and I are in pretty good shape, the stairs weren't too challenging...although my calves were a little sore the next day!




The next day, Matt and I took a fantastic drive along the coast from Alghero down to the coastal town of Bosa. It was like driving on Pacific Coast Highway in California but in Sardinia. Along the way to Bosa, we spotted a private beach that was tucked away in the cliffs in a small cove. It took us a few minutes to try to figure out how to get down to it from the highway and then about a 15 minute hike, but once we made it down there, we were so glad we had found it. It was beautiful (and there was sand)! Here's a picture of the private beach (taken when we were hiking down to it) and a picture of us out on some of the rocks. Matt managed to go explore the cliffs while I made myself at home reading in the sun.













For our drive back to Alghero from Bosa, we decided to take the inland scenic route through the rolling hills. Although not as beautiful as the coastal drive, this drive offered us some great views of the coast (in the distance) and the opportunity to see some cork trees. Sardinia is a big producer of cork--and it's made from the lower bark of the cork trees. Once a tree's bark is stripped for cork, it can no longer be used for any more extractions. As you can see, these cork trees have already been stripped and will continue to exist only to help create oxygen.




Then, the following day Matt and I went sailing on an 80ft wooden sail boat. There were 2 other couples on the boat with us and together, we all had a wonderful time (and I never felt sea-sick, which was a plus). The boat, the Andrea Jensen, was owned by a British couple who moved to Sardinia with their boat to turn their hobby into a job. We set sail in the morning and were taken out into the Mediterranean ocean where we sailed north along the coast until we reached a beautiful cove where we were served lunch, went snorkeling, and played in the water.


Matt got to help put up the spinnaker and all the other sails, so here is a picture of him working hard. We got back to Alghero that evening and then cleaned up and walked down to the old part of town (no cars allowed) for another great dinner by the water. Here are some pictures of our sail boat (they let me go out in a dinghy to take the pics!).














In all, we had an excellent time in Sardinia. It was a great relaxation weekend and one that allowed us to spend some much needed time together.

DISCLAIMER...

Matt and I refer to the baby as a 'he' even though we don't know the sex yet, so until we find out the sex, the baby will be a 'he' on the site. :)

As soon as we find out the sex, we'll post it and let you know! We just don't like calling the baby an 'it.' If he ends up being a girl, we figure it'll just be a funny story to tell her one day!

High Five...

Look everyone...I have 5 fingers!

Well, Matt and I went to our first visit on the German economy on Monday (it was our official Dr. visit #6). The base hospital is closing down on 01 June, so all OB patients due after that date (and all hospital/ER/surgery related issues) are now being referred off base to our choice of three local hospitals. I chose the St. Elisabeth Krankenhaus in Wittlich, as it is close to our house and I liked the facilities the best. Bitburg is a bit closer, but I didn't like the video they showed of the hospital at the orientation! Anyhow, since the contract for pregnant people to go off base for all prenatal care and delivery is so new, the Germans are really stepping it up to impress us (and to keep their contracts for the future). The government is paying mega bucks for our off-base care, so I like that the Krankenhaus has really new equipment (like flat screens that suspend from the air above your feet when you're laying on the table so that you can see the ultrasound--instead of having to twist around to try to see the machine's screen), they perform ultrasounds at EVERY visit, and the staff are all ultra-cautious about things (so we only see the Chief of Obstetrics at the hospital, not just your average OB doctor).

(Sorry...my nugget is shielded by the placenta)

As you can see, our little peanut is growing into a precious little monster. Dr. Locher, my new German OB, said that he's developing according to schedule and based off of the measurements he took during the ultrasound (head, femur, arms, etc), he looked about 15 weeks and 5 days on Monday's visit...which would make him about 16 weeks and 1 day today (which is about a week ahead of what the Dr's on base initially told us). If he keeps growing like he is, maybe he'll introduce himself to us a little early...but you never know! We were just amazed and thrilled to see that he has all 5 fingers on this hand...it's astonishing how developed babies are at only 4 months.

(Sorry...my nugget is still hidden behind the placenta)

The ultrasound was incredibly fascinating, as we were able to see so much with the better technology and the fact that he's bigger. In addition to his arms and hands, we were able to see his ribs, his spine, his legs, and most of his body...EXCEPT for the parts that would tell us if he was a boy or a girl (he wasn't showing us any of his lower parts) and Matt was able to see him move for the first time, so every aspect of the ultrasound was incredibly exciting.

At our next visit in June, we're hoping to be able to find out the sex (if he's cooperating), so we can't wait. I'm dying to start shopping, so right now all the tempting European baby stores just taunt me. Regardless of the sex, we're going to be thrilled. Neither of us really has a preference--we just want him to be healthy.

Yes, I'm really PREGGERS (British for Pregnant)!

On St. Patrick's Day, Matt and I found out that I was pregnant. We weren't really expecting the news (I was in tears thinking I had killed whatever was developing inside me since I had a few glasses of wine at Matt's surprise birthday party the night prior), as we didn't think it could have been possible timing wise, but were instantly thrilled with the realization that we were going to be parents. I can still remember the shock I felt when all 4 (yes, FOUR--I'll explain later) pregnancy tests read 'PREGNANT.' I can't speak for everyone else, but I know that I was neither ready nor prepared to see those words on the test, yet I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

So you're probably wondering why I had 4 different pregnancy tests on hand, as they're not something most normal people keep on hand. Here's why...in December, I had suffered through some 'girl issues' and the Dr. here put me on a high dosage medicine in January to try to get rid of the 'issues.' Well, before I was to take the medicine, the Dr. told me to take a pregnancy test to make sure I wasn't pregnant, as the medicine would cause all sorts of fetal developmental problems and most likely cause a miscarriage if I were pregnant. To make a long story short, Matt and I were planning on starting to try to get preggers sometime this summer, so I decided to stock up on the take home tests since the commissary/BX rarely has real brands (non-AAFES/generic brands) on the shelf--I guess they're a high selling item around here. I ended up buying 4 different types/brands since I didn't know which ones were the most accurate. So, as you can see, I had them on hand for good reason!

After taking the 4 different tests, I came downstairs where Matt was on his perch (a.k.a. his Lazy Boy recliner) with them wrapped in paper towels. I told him that I had something to tell him and he told me that he already knew what I was going to say (he said that I had been upstairs in the bathroom for about 30 minutes and finally came down with a bundle of paper towels, so he 'knew' what I had been up to). I asked him if he was excited but I think that we were both more in shock than in a state of elation. He got on to me for 'wasting over $50' on the 4 take-home tests, as he claimed that the Air Force offers the blood tests for free--but he got over it! We decided that we couldn't get too excited yet, as I needed to have a blood test taken to make sure.

So, I called our Flight Doc and he arranged for me to go in the following Monday to have a blood HCG test taken. He wanted the HCG test to try to date my pregnancy based off hormone levels because we had no idea when conception was and I had thought that I had had my period the week before. That, and because he wanted to make sure I hadn't already miscarried. Well, I went for the 'blood donation' and got a phone call that night with news that my HCG levels signified that YES, I was in fact very pregnant. Due to the period that I thought I had had, the Dr. wanted me to get seen in the OB clinic as soon as possible, as he was worried that the pregnancy was possibly ectopic. So, off Matt and I went a few days later to the OB clinic for our first visit. The Dr. did an ultrasound on me and everything looked 'normal.' He said that because the embryo was so small, he wasn't completely sure of the age (he guessed around 6 weeks), so he wanted us to come back in a week to get a better look.

A week passed and we were back at the OB clinic for visit #2. The Dr. did another ultrasound and based off of size, he gave us a due date of November 15th, putting the embryo at 7 weeks and 1 day. In looking at a calendar and going backwards 7 weeks and 1 day, we realized that we had a "Welcome Home from your TDY baby" on our hands. So, we were finally able to know when this baby was conceived...the day Matt returned from Turkey. Maybe there was a reason Matt didn't buy me any carpets or souvenirs this time around--I think a baby is much cooler than any TDY present! Here's what he looked like at Visit #2...

Visit #3 was when I was about 10 weeks along. The Dr. wanted me to come in to make sure that everything was still okay, as I had been experiencing some spotting during the previous 2 weeks. Everything looked good on the ultrasound and the baby's heart rate was still very strong. He wasn't sure why I was spotting and said that some people just have that happen during their pregnancy. He didn't seem very concerned, so Matt and I figured that all was good.

Well, visit #4 to the Dr. was not a traditional visit. Instead, it was a 10:30pm trip to the ER when I was about 10.5 weeks along. That day, I had run a 10 miler (it was our last long run before the marathon in Vienna) and everything felt fine. Other than my sciatic nerve being irritated, the run went well. Fast forward about 9 hours and out of the middle of nowhere, I started bleeding profusely. Matt called the ER and told them about me and they told him to bring me in right away. We both thought that the pregnancy was over and I was a hysterical mess. The ER doctor had to refer me to the OB on call, as 'things didn't look good' (those were his exact words). The OB doctor happened to be at the hospital, so he came in with an ultrasound machine to take a look at what was going on. I was expecting the worst, but we were both pleasantly surprised with the screen showing a little peanut still inside me with a strong heartbeat still pounding away. The Dr. couldn't explain what caused the bleeding or where it came from, but it was one of the WORST experiences of our lives. But, God is GOOD and He wasn't ready to meet this little peanut face to face yet. The Dr. diagnosed me with a 'threatened miscarriage' and put me on modified bed rest (no gym or running) just to play it safe.

Visit #5 happened a few weeks ago when I was 12 weeks along. Matt had to hot pit that day (fly twice in a row), so he didn't get to make it to the appointment. This appointment was really cool, as it was the first time I got to see the baby move. He was moving out of control--his arms were flailing, his little legs were kicking, and his head was bobbing up and down. I think I cried, as it wasn't until that moment that everything seemed REAL. The Dr. gave me this ultrasound picture (which is blurry because the baby was moving so much) and it just blows us away that you can already see so much of him this early on in life. For those of you (like me) who don't know what you're looking at, the head is on the left and the feet are on the right and he's laying on his back.

Other than all the drama, the first trimester went really well. No major sickness, no tired-spells, no real cravings--mostly just food aversions. During the first trimester, he's been to Kirn, Germany--Ghent, Belgium--The Netherlands--Vienna, Austria--Sardinia, and Luxembourg...and there will be many more places he'll go before he's born. He's already a world traveller!

SAVE THE DATE...

WHEN: November 7, 2007*

WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada

WHY: for BABY GARRISON

(The German DR that I now see has changed my due date from November 15th to November 7th...we'll see which DR is right!)

Vienna, Austria...

...is not the home of the Vienna Sausages that come in a gelatinous jar of goo (contrary to popular belief).

However, it is home to the 3rd marathon that Matt and I have run in while in Europe. Like crazed animals, Matt and I decided that it would be a good idea to run another marathon before we left Europe this year and given that April has become our 'marathon month' (the previous two were both in April), we figured we'd look for a race that fell during that month. Well, Vienna fit our criteria and along with 14 other people, we signed up. I only signed up for the half (since the two full marathons wore me out) and Matt signed up for the full (the rest of the group was mixed between the half and the full).

The day of the marathon was incredibly HOT, so none of the group really had personal best runs...but everyone finished, which is a feat in and of itself. Matt got a bit of 'heat stress,' since it was so hot out, but he ended up recovering without any medical aid. The picture on the right is of Matt at the 10km point. Below is a cute picture of one of the other runner's daughter, Myka, playing nurse to poor Matt after the race.

Mom's Visit

On March 31st, my mom came to visit us in Germany for a week. While here, we drug her across Belgium to spend the night on a boat in Ghent, up into Holland to see the world famous Keukenhof Tulip Festival, and then back to Germany to partake in the many shopping opportunities and cafes. It seemed like a whirlwind of a visit, but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute we got to spend together. As always, we found numerous unforgettable restaurants along our journeys and managed to take lots of memorable photos as well.

For our night in Belgium, Matt surprised us with our hotel. When we pulled up top the hotel, both my mom and I laughed and said 'you're kidding, right?' Well, he wasn't. The 'hotel' was actually a large barge called the BOATel that was converted into a 9 room hotel that sat along the edge of one of the main canals that ran through Ghent. We laughed and laughed at the thought of sleeping on the boat, but it ended up being one of the best experiences--so great that Matt and I have actually decided to stay there again this summer with some friends. The rooms were nice and the view out of the port holes was really neat. Afterall, how many people can say that they've spent the night in a BOATel? And, as you an see to the right, Matt has come to find yet another public urinal. Apparently to men, the European public urinals are so fascinating!

After our night in Ghent, we loaded back into the old faithful 7-series BMW and headed north to Holland to experience the sights of the Keukenhof. On our way to the Keukenhof, we stopped at Den Haague for a few hours to see what the hype was all about, and then kept heading north. The Keukenhof is located a few miles south of Amsterdam and is supposedly one of the 'must see' attractions in Holland. It is only open for about 6 weeks each spring and boasts thousands of acres of tulips and other flowers. When we got there, all you could see for miles were tulips, so this year's weather did not disappoint (last year was horrible, as we had a long winter and none of the tulips bloomed). The gardens were really beautiful, although once you've seen a few yards of flowers, all the rest seem to look the same! The best part of the Keukenhof (or so I thought) was the petting zoo. They had all sorts of baby animals to pet and play with and I thought it was a great break from all the acres of flowers. We are glad that we were able to visit the Keukenhof before leaving Europe, as it was incredibly beautiful, but we wouldn't specifically fly to Europe like some of the people had to see the festival.

After the Keukenhof, we headed back to Germany, as Mom had to leave to go back to the States on Easter Sunday. We had a wonderful time (as always) with her here and hope that more family will get to come see us before our European Vacation comes to an end.

Mommy Kitty

Well, I finally got a picture of Mommy Kitty to post on the blog. Isn't she cute? The goopy eyes are hereditary, so it's not a sickness...all of her babies have it too.

Matt's SURPRISE 30th Birthday Party

Last Friday, March 16th, I hosted a surprise 30th Birthday party for Matt in Kirn, Germany. Along with 10 other friends, I was able to completely surprise Matt (which is rare) with a Whisky Tasting at the Kyrburg Whiskey Museum, one of the largest whiskey museums outside of Scotland.

The Kyrburg Castle was built in the 900's and destroyed by the French in the 1700's. The only things

that survived the French invasion were the remains of the castle and the first floor and cellar of the Whiskey Museum. Upon arrival in Kirn, Matt didn't seem very excited that I had 'kidnapped' him from work (I had everything planned with scheduling so that he would be finished with work around 3pm) to take him to this random town. So, to increase his excitement, I finally told him why we were there--for us to go to dinner in the castle and have a scotch tasting. That brightened him up a bit, but he was clueless about the events to come.

Complete with a 3-course Scottish dinner, the night was nothing less than spectacular. The night started with a greeting of a bagpipe rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and 2 of our good friends waiting for us inside the castle with champagne. After another aperitif and bonfire reception, we pushed inside the restaurant for the start of the dinner. It was at our own reserved table that Matt was then surprised by 8 of our other close friends. He thought the night was just going to be the two of us, so having 10 other friends there was such a surprise.

After dinner, we were escorted down into the 400 year old cellar for the formal Classic Malts of Scotland tasting. The cellar held over 3,000 different scotches from around the world. It was unbelievable. None of the girls tried the single-malt scotches (we stuck with wine), but all the guys loved it.

The night wasn't complete without a Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse birthday cake adorned with candles and a Fresh Fruit Tart which I had made (I had a friend bring them so Matt wouldn't see them!) especially for the party. As a gift from the Whiskey Museum, Herr Kroll, the taste-master, gave Matt a sampling of a single-malt scotch from his birth year, 1977 (which is very old, since it had already sat in a barrel for many years). I thought about buying a bottle to give Matt, but it was 320 euro, so I decided against it!

At 0130 in the morning, we all made it back to our hotel in Kirn and woke up the following morning to lots of funny stories and re-caps from the night before. In all, everyone had a great time and my mission was accomplished--to truly surprise Matt.