I've always been a terrible "blogger". This one is no different. I think the only time I every posted regularly was back on MySpace in my RebmaEiram days. 😂😂😂 On one hand, I wish those posts still existed... on the other, thank goodness they don't! ;)

Anyway, we're 14 days away from it being a year since the last time I posted here. I am trying to make myself post more, if for no other reason than to have a little capsule of our time here in Germany. Plus, the way things are changing, our lives may be completely different this time next year. 

So, here's what you may have missed in the last year:

Mom came to visit in September!

We took Mom to Prague. 

P and I flew back to the States with Mom for a two week visit. I think Granna and Big Daddy might have been a little happy to see P. ;)

"Redneck Sledding" at Uncle Kevin's house! 

A haircut with Granny and GranKim! 

Ready to head back and see Dada! 

November 2016 : I cooked my first Thanksgiving and we had some friends over to eat! After they left, we all snoozed and watched tv and enjoyed what was possibly the most relaxing Thanksgiving I've ever had. 

The next day, turkey pot pie soup! 

In December 2016, we got Louis as a foster bird!

(He left us in June to rejoin his family)

German Christmas Markets are the BEST. 

If you don't dress your child in approximately 72 thousand layers, you will be scolded by little old ladies. Not kidding. 

January and a tiny snowman! 

February and we had officially started thinking like Germans...

"There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing"

He's kind of the cutest. ;)

At the end of February, the Freemans invaded! And just in time for Fasching! 

Happy Granna

Happy Big Daddy

Happy Cousins

After Freeman Fest, I headed to Paris with a girlfriend for a weekend away with no husbands and no kids! 

City Portrait in April

P got a new bed in April!

(but the cool hanging over the slide and tunnel over the bed didn't last)

He also got his first bike! 

In May, our friends Jake and Lauren came to visit! 

In June, P grew about 17 feet overnight. 

Not really. But he did turn 3! 

Also in June, Ginger and Justin came to visit.

There's something about having your best friend around that makes the world right.

Okay, I think I'm caught up now. 

Now to stick to some kind of schedule for posting. I actually have some DIYs I was thinking of posting, but we will see. This still feels slightly awkward. 

The end. 

P. S. Photobucket caused my design to go all screwy, so it may be time to refresh. Blarg. 

"Verschroben"

It's been 3 months since my last post, so I guess it's past time for an update!
Sticking to the bullet format, here's what we've been up to:

-We took P bowling for the first time and it was adorable! Also, he can pick up an 8 pound bowling ball. So, #HulkBaby.

-We sold our house in Pell City!!!!! It's such a relief to have that checked off the list. And I know the family that moved in will make so many wonderful memories there that it makes it even easier to let go of that part of our past.

-P turned TWO! These years have flown by and he's already experienced more in his life than I ever could have dreamed of for him. He's also survived me as a mom and doesn't seem any worse for the wear! He's a sweet kid, has a touch of an attitude, is pushing boundaries every day, and is the light of our lives.

-WE MOVED INTO OUR APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty sure it almost killed the movers though. Four flights of stairs + all of our earthly belongings = nein.

-We moved P to a mattress on the floor to train him to sleep on a "big boy bed". The first night was hilarious, but after that, he was a pro! Tonight we're actually putting his big boy bed (boxspring, rails, and a headboard) together and then his transition will be complete!

-Unpacking is completely overwhelming. I'm a big fan of living in a space for awhile before making any permanent decisions, so we did that in areas that we could. But we had guests scheduled to arrive a week after we moved in, so we had to make it presentable as possible.

-Went to our first of many, MANY outings to IKEA to buy stuff for the apartment. We basically live there now. I love how clean and simple their furniture is, I love that they deliver to our door, and I love that none of the pieces we've bought are priced to the point that I would be devastated if P damaged them. He's already marked on the sideboard with a pencil, so I'm willing to bet our future holds many Magic Erasers and timeouts on that front.

-Sarah and her son came to visit! Originally, her husband Chris was going to come as well, but due to passport drama, he wasn't able to. I loved meeting baby (toddler) C and catching up with Sarah. They lived in Scotland at the time and just moved back to the states, so it was nice to talk to someone who understands the experience. We went on a few little day trips (Rüdesheim, Luxembourg) and went on an adventure to the Black Forrest which was awesome and trying at the same time. Even with detailed planning (which we did not do), road closures would be an issue. Factor in that we just winged it and had two toddlers with popping ears... let's just say that it may be awhile before we try that again. 

-It's a rough life when you have an ice cream parlor in the bottom of your building. Rough life for your scale, that is. 

-P had his two year checkup, greeting his doctor with a kiss, was declared "perfect" and sent on his way. We did discuss his speech delay with her and she said not to worry just yet. P will say a word one time, then not repeat it, but is also speaking three word sentences ("I did it" "there it is"), so she wasn't too worried. He's just going to be a late bloomer when it comes to speech. He's babbling more now and saying more words, so we're optimistic that he will be able to communicate with us soon. I'm convinced that him staying home with me has probably hindered him a little since he doesn't have to be quite so verbal with me. I usually know what he needs without him having to ask for it. I talked to a speech therapist friend and she gave me some great advice (Thanks Shae!) and I've been working on making P ask for things and working on being more verbal with him. 

-Chris's friend Brad and his girlfriend Sarah came to visit! They went on an awesome European vacation and stayed with us in the halfway point. We loved having them here and were pretty bummed when they left. It was really great to have a little bit of home here with us! 

-Mom is coming to visit!!!!! And after her two weeks here are done, P and I are flying back with her for two weeks in Alabama! I am SO excited!!! Well, except about leaving Chris for two weeks. That will be the longest we've been apart since we started dating! More about separation issues in a bit...

-I opened a Society6 page for my travel photos! I'm also working on some hand lettered goodies (coffee mugs, pillows, etc) to post in a few weeks, so keep that in mind! You can check it all out HERE. 

-Chris left for a week's training in Atlanta. That was a weird week. I handled it okay and actually didn't go too crazy thanks to Mia, our sitter. She came a few days for a few hours so I could take the trash down and pick up groceries, but mainly so I could take a break and also to have an adult to talk to! Mia is wonderful and we all love her, but especially P. Pretty sure that's his girlfriend. ;)

-We're getting the living room and dining room painted this week! Our landlord is being so gracious and paying for it since the walls are dingy, patchy, and marked from the previous renters. He also agreed to a light grey as well! I'm so excited to have fresh paint! At the same time, it's weird to go from owning your home to renting. I like bold colors mixed with cool neutrals, so it's a little disappointing that I can't go to town with decorating here. Because that wall with the fireplace.... it would be a deep navy blue if I owned this place. That would make that fireplace POP! 

-I think that's about it as far as catch up goes! You can find more on my IG, but that's the gist of it. I'm going to add "Write a Blog" to my Google calendar weekly. Hopefully that will help me feel a little more connected and help our families feel like they are more involved. I'm planning on blogging each room after it's finished to show how we decorated, but that's not set in stone. 








Now, onto some #RealTalk: 

"Verschroben" = "cranky" = me. I'm cranky. I'm trying to not be cranky, but I basically lost my cool last night and screamed "I HATE LIVING HERE AND I WANT TO GO HOME AND THIS SUCKS AND NOTHING IS EVER EASY!" at Chris. Why? The bed we ordered from Overstock is sized wrong. We have gaps on the side and at the end of the bed. It's the very definition of a First World Problem, but I just completely lost it. Honestly, it was just one of those small problems that released a huge blowup and broke the dam. Thankfully, I have a husband who understands that I'm a little emotional right now and he waited out the crazy and talked me out of my bad mood. We got to actually talk about our disappointments with moving here and complained about what we hated. Then we got to plan ways to make it better. That was a happy way to end my cranky day! 

It's hard moving away. It's really hard moving and not speaking the language. It's really hard to realize that's all on me and I haven't been working hard enough on learning. I've been giving up to easily and making excuses. I've also been too scared/shy/embarrassed to even try to speak German to strangers. That's going to change starting now. American Amber needs to teach German Amber how to be more confident! 

Also, after pitching a P-worthy tantrum over the bed last night, we slept on it and after I woke up and made the bed and opened the window to let in some light... it's totally fine. We'll have to adjust the mattress and boxsprings sometimes and be careful not to scrape our heels, but so what?! If that's the worst thing in our lives we have to deal with, then we're doing okay. It's temporary, just like our lives here... and just like my cranky mood!!!


Das Ende.

" Lagerkoller"

It's been almost two months since my last post and a LOT has happened since then. To keep with the theme of the last post, here's a little list of what we've been dealing with:


-We found a flat to rent! (I say "flat" not to be pretentious, but because that's what it is/was... one floor of a giant house. Or, one *flat* level.) The flat was beautiful and perfect. We had three bedrooms on our floor, then a guest suite downstairs, a backyard, and an American landlord. The only downsides were that it was not downtown and we wouldn't have been able to move in until right about this time (end of May), but the flat was so great that we decided it would be worth the walk and the wait. I'll come back to this...

-We bought a car! It's a BMW and it's red... and we both HATE it. Obviously for different reasons (me, because it's cramped and the seats are uncomfortable. With my back issues, sitting in these seats can be painful. Chris, because of mechanical reasons that are highly technical and really boring.)

-Chris's cousin Eli came to visit! It was really great to see a familiar face! Our plans to go visit him in Stuttgart have been foiled so far, but hopefully we can get there within the next few weeks!

-We attempted a visit up north to see the Hallmans, but had to turn around 1/3 of the way there due to car issues. Thus began the great debate to either keep the BMW for Chris to drive to work and buy another car later, or to sell it and go ahead and get a better car.

-We've been downtown many, many times and are starting to get our bearings about direction. Haha, just kidding, I'm as lost as a man in the feminine products aisle! Chris mostly knows what he's doing though.

-Chris graduated with his Master's Degree!!!! He has worked so hard for this and been such an inspiration! No one is prouder than I am for this man! Not only has he finished his degree, he's also been an amazing father and husband too! (lots of squishy, lovey-dovey feelings about this. Will exclude to prevent nausea and eye-rolling.)

-We took a train to Rudesheim with some new friends and had a blast! Presley really liked the train and I really liked getting out of this hotel!

-Remember when I said we found this amazing place, but that I would come back to that? Yeah. We lost that place. The current tenants are military and they got extended for another year. Yes, I cried. Yes, I called my mom and my bff and had a couple of meltdowns. But then Chris and I talked and decided that maybe this is a chance for us to live in the city center like we had originally wanted. Plus, my new friend Kris messaged me and said "You never know... that first place might have been full of black mold!", which was exactly what I needed to hear!  I lined up a few places for us to see, including an appointment that evening for a place downtown. We went and were originally pretty certain we wouldn't like it since it's on the 5th/top floor and there is no elevator. But.... then we walked into the flat. It's beautiful. Tall ceilings, beautiful wood floors, 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry on the same floor, balconies, fireplace, and a little spot that will make the perfect reading nook for me. The landlord is so nice and even the current tenant was nice and helpful! We are blocks away from multiple parks and playgrounds, groceries, and restaurants. We also think our guests will enjoy it better there because they can easily go out on their own to explore or grab a meal without worrying about getting back! We now have a contract and have been taking the stairs here at the Lodge to train for our new hike!

-Finally got to go see the Hallmans! We rented a car and headed up on a Saturday. They were a sight for sore eyes! We tried to go visit the castle, but we didn't think about not being able to take the stroller inside with all the stairs, so P was MORE than a handful. All in all, it was a great trip, but we learned a lot about traveling with a toddler!

-I had my Mother's Day and my 31st birthday within a week of each other and Chris and P made me feel so special! My favorite part? The Presley scribbles on the cards!

-We found a babysitter! Thanks to our new friend Kris, we found Mia and she is wonderful! We were able to go out on a date and we're actually going out tonight too! We also found another girl who offers in-home German lessons, so we will try to schedule that after we get moved into our flat.

-We bought a new car. Again. After a month and a half of issues from the BMW, we (Chris) decided it would be best to go ahead and get a new car and sell that one. Since we are moving downtown, I decided against getting a second car for myself since I can walk everywhere (I put some of that money into a better stroller... cobblestones are rough on wheels!). We are supposed to pick up our VW Passat Friday! Yes. We bought a station wagon!

I think I hit the high notes from the last two months. I will say that this move has been a lot harder on us than we initially thought. Most of my issues are all related to being "stuck" here in the Lodge. I'm really looking forward to being downtown so that it's easier for me to get out and about with P. Also, just so we will have SPACE again. Not to mention that P will have his own room again. Between P's moving and noises and Chris's snoring, I'm getting very little sleep and have taken to napping when P naps everyday.
We really miss our friends and families, but we're slowly making friends here. I'm still a hermit, but I'm getting better about trying to push myself to get out and about. Mostly, we're just really ready to get out of this hotel and into our flat and start experiencing Germany. Sometimes, life here on the base feels like a weird bubble. It's like being in Germany, but not being in Germany. Very isolating, but also comforting.

There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows, but we're going to make it. I always sign off with "I'm going to do better with posting more" and it's always a lie, so this time I'll sign off with :


Auf Wiedersehen!

A Deluge of Predicaments and Kindness

We have just begun our life here in Germany... I'm sorry, Deutschland, and I'm already slacking on posting here. Here is what our last two weeks in the States and then our arrival went like:

-Lots of time hanging out with Mom

-Repeating "I can't believe we are doing this" and "Are we nuts for doing this" to each other daily

-Consistently feeling like the whole move was not actually happening and nothing felt real

-Our going-away party, which was fun until I went a little overboard with the wine and started crying and finally put myself to bed. So, basically, I missed the last hours of my own party because 2Buck Chuck snuck up on me!

-Getting to see my stepmother again and meet her boyfriend, who I highly approve of! ;)
(Long story short, I cut off my father and kept my stepmom after their divorce. I definitely kept the best one!)

-US Daylights Savings Time (AKA, TimeChange #1)

-More time with Mom for last minute shopping

-The movers came! Three guys packed our entire house in 7 hours (and that was with a lunch break)

(I may never move again without professional movers)

-Moved into the Holiday Inn in Talladega

-Found out that hotels and toddlers don't really mix

-Hired two teenage boys the last day we were in town to help us... and quickly decided we should have hired them MUCH sooner. Those young men could WORK. And they were fast and polite and we paid them much more than agreed on just because they saved our tired old backs hours on the heating pads.

-Had a moment with Chris when we were leaving 4030 for the last time. While we never LOVED loved the actual house, we loved what all we experienced as a couple, then a family there. We came home from Vegas to start our lives together to that house. We conceived our son in that house ('sup, TMI?). We brought P home from the hospital to that house. P learned to sit up, crawl, walk, talk, EVERYTHING in that house. And after our little renovation last year, I really started falling in love with the downstairs and it started to feel so much more open and airy. So, yes, I cried when we locked the door for the last time.

-Spent our last night in Talladega having dinner with Mom and my in-laws. Mom made my favorite meal and dessert and it was perfect.

-Got up Sunday the 20th and headed out to meet everyone at Mom's, get last minute haircuts, finish packing, then caravan to the airport.

-Stopped to eat in Oxford and I ran into a friend, which was extra nice!

-The Airport: Guys.... the whole airport/flight station was nothing but drama, stress, and tears. And, no, I'm not just talking about P. I cried multiple times at the airport (sadness and stress) and on the plane (stress and extreme exhaustion). I also want to mention that we never would have survived checking in and the luggage without our parents (who all went to drop us off). That time spent with them in our last few hours in the States was a blessing!

(We couldn't have done it without the grandmothers!)

-The Flight with a toddler: Want my advice on flying overseas with a toddler? DON'T DO IT. Seriously. I'm looking into trans-Atlantic cruises for any trips home in the near future (I'm only half-way joking). However, on the positive side, the employees at the Atlanta International Terminal and the Lufthansa Airline were so incredibly kind and helpful. The flight attendants were genuinely thoughtful and courteous people and the people sitting around us were polite and understanding! We actually didn't get a dirty look until the end when we were sitting in our seats, waiting on everyone else to get off the plane before we even stood up. I'll take that as a humanity win!

(ME: "Let's take a selfie to remind us to NEVER DO THIS AGAIN.")

-The Arrival: I've never been happier to see a stranger in my life than when we meet Chris's sponsor at the airport. We have been so blessed by our sponsor and his wife, as well as previous co-worker of Chris's who works here now. He and his wife have become our friends and been such a help to us!

-At the time of our arrivial, Germany was 6 hours ahead of Alabama (Time Change #2)

-The Lodge: It's a hotel, but with a small bedroom, so it was an improvement over the Holiday Inn! We are able to put P down in the crib housekeeping brought us (it's on wheels and it's perfect for our situation) and shut the door until he falls asleep, then at night, we can wheel him into the living room area so we can go to sleep.

-This past Sunday, Germany had their Daylights Saving Time and sprang forward (Time Change #3). Y'all...we're tired.

-Chris's co-worker and his family took us downtown and we loved walking in the pedestrian area! The buildings are so beautiful and ornate. We loved the vibe from downtown and have decided to look for an apartment in the city center! We both agree that while the suburbs would have more space, we lived that lifestyle back home and we want to experience new environments while we're here. We have three places lined up to go see and we're very excited to see what happens!

And now, because this blog post is long and rambling, I will end on that note and post again soon!

(One happy family... even when cabin fever strikes!)

"Heimweh"

It's weird to think that in about a month, we will be living 4671 miles away from all of our friends and family. It does help knowing that we have two friends who will be roughly two hours away from us, but I'm especially having a hard time with the thought of leaving all of "my" children. My nephews, nieces, and my friend's children.

It's probably hitting harder because my best friend just had her second child this week and I realized that I will not be around for him. That when I come to visit, he won't know who I am outside of a computer screen or voice through a phone.

It's hard knowing that I'm going to be without friends. I don't make friends (REAL friends) easily. I am rather blunt, forever saying what I think before filtering it, and my social anxiety is getting worse with age. I've spent years breaking my closest friends in and I can STILL blunder aspects of our friendships.

It's a funny feeling to have waves of homesickness wash over yourself when you are still at home. I know that this move is going to be an adventure. I promise I'm happy that Chris applied for and was offered this job! I'm so proud of him I could burst! But it's going to be a big adjustment for all of us and it's all sinking in now that we have an idea of the moving date.

Now, enjoy this photo of my son loving on my brother when he came to visit last week. (He hugged on him like that for about 5 minutes!)

"WHEN ARE YOU GUYS MOVING?"

If I hear that question one more time, I may cry. Dealing with the government for this move has been an eye opener. I seriously want to throw my arms around military wives, bake them all cookies, and send them a case of wine for dealing with this on the regular. 

Hopefully, we will have a date this week or next week. I'm trying to stay positive and remind myself that this just gives us longer to be here (and gives me more of a chance that I'll be here when my BFF has her son), but it's very draining on us emotionally and mentally. I know this is so whiney of me to say... "Boo hoo! We're moving to Europe and we are so sad because we don't have a date yet and are getting to spend time with our families instead!"  Go ahead, mentally punch me in the face. 

Anyway, I've been working on purging what I can for now and selling a few things, but we've mostly decided to donate everything that we don't use or need. We are both border-line hoarders and we're using this move to try to become minimalists! I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing earlier this year and I'm going to try to follow most of Marie Kondo's guidelines for purging. If nothing else, I'm just going to chunk everything and buy new clothes at H&M when I get there because we have TWO in the town we're moving to! Such luxury. Much spending. 

If you don't already, follow my sell page on Instagram (@amberisdecluttering) to keep an eye out for things we are selling before the move! 

I'll try to stay on top of keeping this blog updated as we know more! Sorry if things read a little disjointed and stilted. I haven't blogged in AGES! Not regularly since the Myspace/RebmaEiram days! ;)

Hopefully, things will get smoother as time goes by! 

A New Beginning

We are moving to Germany. Freaking GERMANY. As in EUROPE. For at least THREE YEARS.

If you can't tell by my caps lock usage, we're pretty pumped about this! I'm actually still in shock and trying not to stress over what all we have to get done in the next few weeks (purge all of our belongings to sell or donate, get house list-ready, sell my Trailblazer {Sold! To my mother-in-law!}, and finish all my OTR work). On top of this, it's holiday season, which is already a stressful time, and we've just told our parents we're moving 9 hours away by plane and taking a grandchild with them.
See? Stress.

But, at the same time, there is just sheer joy and excitement and major impatience to be there already! I explained how we're feeling to my mom by telling her it feels like I'm 8 years old and it's Christmas Eve and Santa is coming. Or, like I told my husband, like I swallowed a bunch of lit firecrackers.

Chris will be working there and P and I will be learning German, looking for a house, setting up the home, then working on exploring our town and enjoying the snow! And we will travel as much as possible on the weekends and holidays. Paris and Venice are both about 5 hours away, Amsterdam is about 4 hours away, and Scotland (and my friend Sarah and her family!) is a quick, cheap flight over the Channel (and London! I really want to go to London!).

I plan on blogging our travels and experiences so our friends and family can keep up with us. Hopefully, I'll keep this up better than the last time I tried blogging! ;)

And, just because I like blogs with pictures, here are a few of my favorites from our Christmas Mini this year with J.Woodbery Photography.