thehealthypancakes

The Silo

I am such a hypocrite.

If you read my last post HERE – raving over the book “wool” from the silo series… I was waiting in angst to finish the book before I started the show.

And….

I kind of hate the show.

Actually,

I really kind of hate the show.

It is so far off from the book. And it is SLOW. S. L. O. W.

I was proud to say I was never one of those “the book is better” people. But THE BOOK IS BETTER.

I don’t know what else to say. I will continue watching the show and reading the rest of the books in the series.

Book Club Brunch

I have been in a weird thought bubble recently. Here it is…

I am probably one of the biggest readers you’ll ever meet. I have been losing myself in books since I can remember.

I had a senior level of reading and writing comprehension in elementary school. Book fairs had me begging for money. I spent much of my free time grabbing books in the library and I loved going with my mom as she researched genealogy, I would grab book while she found old newspaper clippings. In high school I would speed through classwork so I could finish whatever book I was reading with the rest of class time. I was not well loved by my teachers.

Despite all of this, I can’t remember the book titles, I barely know any authors by name (Stephen King however, reigns supreme) I have been kicked out of a book club once… and please don’t ask me about story lines, plots or in depth character analysis.

Many times over the years I will share my books or my reading streaks online and I am met with other book lovers. They offer amazing book suggestions and they encourage me to join Goodreads – to share my experiences. I have tried and failed to do this many times. Often surprised to discover that I have tried to do this years ago already.

I was kicked out of the book club because I chose the most boring book – “The Man in the High Tower”. I became so bored trying to read this book that I elected to read another book instead, never alerting the club I had diverted. All the while, they also had hated the book but powered through anyway for the sake of discussion. While meeting for brunch that weekend I had to fess up. I was shunned out of the group instantly.

A few things have prompted this introspection.

One, book discussion is everywhere. Many of my friends and clients make great book recommendations – I am also encouraged to update my most recent reads on one of my coaching platforms to spur on discussion with my clients.

Two, my stepdaughters latest discussion around books. Every time she comes to visit, and often on phone calls, she asks me about the books I read or points out all the books her mom has read or bought. Though I am not convinced she herself likes to read yet, she does have me thinking about my journey. She prompted me once to count the number of books I had read in my lifetime. My head spun so hard and I gave up rather quickly on the task. I often will accidentally download books I have already read to my kindle… luckily with new technology I am starting to get notified of the books I have already completed.

Three, last nights discussion with my husband about the show “Silo”

I am currently reading the book and I love it. I am trying to power through as quickly as possible so I CAN WATCH the show. Which really surprised my husband. He pointed out how most “big” readers prefer the book and get upset about making them into movies and TV shows.

I don’t hate it when they do, I actually love it.

A few reasons I have concluded since last night…

One, books consume me fully but I am also just a consumer of books. They have always been my outlet in life.Growing up without any real friends and constantly moving from place to place I dove into books. I imagine myself as each and every character, as many of you probably do. The worlds I paint and the sorrow I feel when the book is over – I must find a book to create a new world in my head straight away, to fill that void. I cannot keep the details in – just the feelings. I consume quickly but it does not make me suitable for anything other than that. Just consuming.

I consume scary movies in the same way.

Two, I prefer to compare my imagination with the writers. Often the show or the movie was co-created with the writer. I love to see how it came out in my head vs. theirs, or even someone else’s imagination – rather than being upset that the screen is ruining my experience. . I cannot wait to see what my world vs. the silos world is like. I am actively trying to avoid seeing the trailer so it cannot sway my brain.

So, with that. I am a reader, but I guess not a very good one.

However, I will leave you with a list of books that have had a profound impact on me. The very few that stuck in my head and I can talk a little bit about.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor. 3.58 on Goodreads – This book I read in elementary school. If I were to stew on this book – I could probably tell you that as a new student almost every other year of my childhood, I was able to really walk in this characters shoes.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan. 4.43 on Goodreads. Though based on a true story it is considered historical fiction. I openly cried during this book and I have a trip planned to Milan specifically due to reading this.
The Legend of ZERO book series – all of them. By Sara King. Scores in the low 4’s on Goodreads. Sci-fi is my favorite genre and for some reason that I wouldn’t be able to articulate to you – these are my favorite. I recently finished ACOTAR, which I did thoroughly enjoy, but this series beats it out for me. I hope Sara’s books make it to TV someday.
The Extinction files: The complete series by A. G. Riddle. 4.37 on Goodreads. Written in 2017 – long before our own COVID-19 scare. Such an amazing book about something that, now that I am writing this, actually came to fruition in real life. I also sat straight up in bed when the author clearly describes how to get to Waxahachie, TX . I am pretty sure I wrote him an email praising his book and my surprise. The one time I have ever contacted an author.

Thank you for reading my thoughts. I am open to your favorite book series as well! Drop a line below please.

Germans and their beer

It’s no secret that Germans are big into beer… I mean, the oldest brewery in the world is Weihenstephan Abbey a monastery that is now a brewery in Freising, Germany (just outside of Munich). The church was founded in 720. Later it became licensed as a brewery in by the City of Freising in 1040, that makes the brewery the oldest working brewery in the world.

Don’t get me wrong… beer has been around a lot longer than that.. but no one does it quite like the germans do.

So with that in mind… here a are few facts Matthew and I have learned so far about Germans and their beer.

Most beer started in monasteries

Yes, Monks were the earliest brewers of your favorite drink. As you can see in my opening, the oldest brewery was once a monastery.

Monks used to stew barley and hops in boiling water and during lent they would drink this concoction in place of food … they called it “liquid bread” – or in German terms “Flüssiges Brot”.

2. Up till the 20th century… water was not always safe to drink

Beer was regarded as safe, nutritious and caloric, even good for small children. Though the alcohol content was low – I can imagine how interesting children acted back then.

3. Germany has put into place “purity laws”

Started in 1516 – Germans purity laws state that you can only use four ingredients to brew your beer…. Those are ‘nothing other than barley, hops and water’. The importance of yeast was not known at the time and was added later.

Anything else added and it can no longer be called beer (or Bier)

This law is still in effect and also happens to be the oldest law in the world that is still enforced!

Nonetheless, there are still over 40 different beers with 5,000 different brands to choose from in Germany. According to that you can try a new beer everyday for about 15 years…

Matthew… we have a lot of drinking to do!

4. Beers all have exact temperatures in which they should be consumed

Now this goes for beer all over the world… but many of the German beers are drank at a warmer temperature… I found this chart to help you figure it out.

35–40°F (2–4°C): Mass market light lagers
40–45°F (4–7°C): Czech and German Pilsners, Munich Helles, wheat beers, and Kölsch
45–50°F (7–10°C): IPAs, American pale ales, porters, and most stouts
50–55°F (10–13°C): Belgian ales, sour ales, Bocks, English bitters and milds, Scottish ales
55–60°F (13–16°C): Barleywines, imperial stouts, Belgian strong ales, and Doppelbocks

Besides drink a natty light iced cold.. most other beers should be served warmer.

Time to get nerdy with our beer consumption… We need a thermometer.

5. You can drink beer anywhere in Munich

I don’t know about the rest of Germany, but you can crack open your alcoholic drink of choice in any park, subway or sidewalk you fancy here. We’ve seen quite a few hikers, parents in parks and kids that definitely don’t look old enough to drink enjoying a brew.

As long as you don’t get belligerent, all is well.

Matthew and I had doners and beer the other day… I was walking around like a criminal hiding my beer. It just felt so foreign. I also chugged it before jumping on the U-bahn. Turns out, I would have been fine!

Since on Sundays everything is closed down here.. Friday and Saturdays are mad houses for the liquor stores. You’ll see your neighbor wheeling cases of beers home… we are not the norm picking and choosing one or two beers to try on the weekends when we are surrounded by people holding crates clinking and clanking.

6. German consumption of beer is rapidly declining.

Once the number one beer drinkers in the world.. They are no longer. According to the World Health Organization, Germany ranked fourth in the world in pure alcohol consumption per capita, behind only Moldova, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

Germans drank on average 131.3 liters (34.7 gallons) of alcoholic beverages in 2018, according to a study published by the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS)

In contrast… the average Americans drink 2.3 gallons of alcohol per year…

Germans also smoked over 75 billon cigarettes…

So there is that.

7. During Oktoberfest, 6 million liters of beer is consumed

This is also where many people get belligerent.

I was told that the hill where the Bavarian statue stands is considered “puke hill”.. I will be avoiding that this October.

8. A popular drink here is mixing beer and sprite (or any lemon flavored drink)

They call it a “Radler” (German for ‘cyclist’). Though once it is mixed it is no longer considered beer… they sell them at the local market here.

9. The drinking age in Munich is 16

Though you aren’t allowed spirits until you are 18. But I get the feeling people start drinking beer a lot earlier than that here.

Well! That’s it for now. Matthew ordered some “smoked bier” this week so stay tuned this weekend for our take on that.

Thanks for reading

Auf Wiedersehen!

Growing your gut

whit-probiotics-cover

I wish I had just saved the post from my last website… I honestly only can write a good post when the “inspiration” hits.

Then I am scrambling to keep up with my own thoughts. They race each other. It’s not always fun.

If you know me at all you know that I am a FIRM believer in the probiotic/prebiotic culture (pun intended). And I truly believe that we are killing our little friends and destroying their cities in our colons… and in turn we are wreaking havoc on our bodies and immune systems. Besides the fact that we over sanitize the crap out of everything and don’t feed our kids dirt, we are creating a super evil villain of bacteria that will wipe us out if we don’t kill each other first.

So, I bet you’re wondering what the heck I’m trying to say.

I’m trying to say is that you need to eat and supplement your body with GOOD bacteria. Get some little Batman and Robins down in there! Superman! Wonder Woman! Eat them! Probiotics make up the front line of defense for our immune system… And that comes out to be about 70% of the immunity we have. Every time you eat something tainted – it’s these little guys who fight it.

Probiotics literally means “for life”. They fight for YOUR life because you are housing them. K?

So start colonizing the little fellas… and after you starting colonizing you will have to start feeding them too…

I know that sounds like a lot of work… and it might scare you if your known for killing houseplants and goldfish.

No worries! To feed them you just have to eat healthy too 🙂 Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So let’s start with how to find and recruit your little friends…

Start eating and drinking things such as:

KOMBUCHA
Kefir
Greek yogurt – better than regular because it’s greek 😉
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Tempeh
Miso
Pickles!!! (ketchup/mustard all over my body)
Sourdough bread
Peas
Soy milk
Dark chocolate 🙂
Miso
Supplements (please make sure they aren’t expired)

Now, the idea is to get as many and as much of the different strains of good bacteria as possible. And it’s cool because we aren’t really sure what they all do… but we keep linking different ones to different abilities.

Such as weight loss.
Such as helping with lactose intolerance.
Such as producing vitamins and helping carry nutrients around.
Such as helping with vaginal infections.
Such as helping with depression and anxiety.
Such as aiding in reversing constipation and diarrhea.
Such as helping with Autism and Parkinson’s disease.
Such as helping blood glucose levels in people with diabetes

I’m using “such as” in such a way that helps you understand that we are still connecting the dots on which bacteria does what.

Here is a chart on a few of the different strains and what we know they do so far:

Vitamin-Bounty-Pro-Daily-Probiotic-13-Probiotic-Strains-Delayed-Release-Capsules-0-0

Vitamin-Bounty-Pro-Daily-Probiotic-13-Probiotic-Strains-Delayed-Release-Capsules-0-1

If you can’t read that – call me and I will read it to you.

The list is endless though. And it will forever go on as scientists continue to study the little super (good) bacterias.

Now to the prebiotics (probiotic foods)

Here is a list of some things to include daily to help keep the bacteria alive:

Onions!
Asparagus – fun to say out loud
leeks
garlic
B – A – N – A – N – A – YAS
Art – Y – Chokes, but the ones from Jerusalem
Chicory root
Dandelion greens
Barley
Oats
Apples
Flaxseeds
Wheat bran (BRAN BUDS MY FRIENDS)
Seaweed

This list is quite vast. As should your diet and probiotic intake be. Go one and eat your fiber and drink your probiotic drinks and BE HEALTHY.

JUST BE HEALTHY

Homesick

I have never experienced homesickness before. Ever.

I have traveled all over the world. I have stayed weeks in places. I have wanted so badly to stay and never return home… but now… now that I actually live far away ….

I’m homesick.

I’m not sure why. It could be the dreary weather and the cold. It rains and snows on and off with a few glimpses of sun. The temps aren’t even that bad. It gets into the 50’s and down into the 30’s. But no extreme lows.

It could be the grocery stores (a place I LOVE). The stress of not having a bagger and most of the time not understanding the language of the cashier. I frantically try to pull out money then proceed to bag my own items all the while the cashier has moved on and is throwing the next customers groceries towards me.

It could be the fact that I am so far away from family and friends.

Though, I admit I am a homebody. I don’t often put myself out there, I like my routine, work – gym – home. But here I have no job, I have no friends, no open gyms (dreaded home workouts) and I have only my boys (husband + 2 dogs) around me.

Don’t get me wrong – they’re great, but it would be nice to have a girlfriend to chat with over coffee or wine.

I am trying to put myself out there here. But as moving in the middle of a pandemic would have it… it’s not easy. Plus Munich is quite strict on the rules and no one here questions them – they just do as they’re told.

Very un-American. We question everything.

Language classes don’t start for me until March, and it feels so far away. And even then I believe they’ll be online at first… so no human contact.

Without a job – which I thought I would be more excited about – I don’t have a great purpose in life right now. It’s hard to be idle. I am used to go-go-going.

Weekends we try to explore what we can within our limitations. You can walk up to a castle but not into it… so many of these trips we will have to plan to do again.

So, I find myself here. In a beautiful but dreary and locked down place, and I have developed homesickness.

The rest of my time in Oregon

I know it’s hard to follow up my post bashing downtown Portland, but I have to finish the experiences of the trip. Oregon is actually an amazing place.

After we checked out of our hotel in downtown Portland, we secured a room at a hotel in a town called Beaverton – just outside of downtown.

Like I had said before – still homeless people around but the town was clean and nice. Shops were open for business and there were no shit stains on the sidewalks. It was just, nice.

Trail of Ten Falls – Silverton, OR

We spent one day hiking in Silverton, OR – about one hour south of Portland proper. It was a really gorgeous drive through wine country.

We got in early and started on the trail that was a loop around ten different waterfalls, hence the name Trail of Ten Falls. The falls themselves range from 27 to 177 feet in height and four of them you can walk behind, which is the most magical.

I don’t know what it is about being behind a waterfall but I could spend all day staring at the water falling above me. Listening to the rumble and feeling the vibrations.

One of the more majestic falls had nothing less than a long cave going behind it.

All I can say is… go to Oregon and do this hike.

The hike is pretty long, 8.7 miles to be exact, but it is mostly flat and a relatively easy hike and is punctuated with a waterfall or two every mile. So, lots of stopping. Just come prepared with lots of water and some snacks.

Once we finished the hike (around one or so in the afternoon) the parking lot had filled up pretty full. So again, I stress early morning hikes to beat the crowds.

After the hike we drove to Corvallis, OR, to view the campus where Matthew went to school, stopped for some coffee and took off again towards the coast to a town called Newport, OR.

Newport, OR

This drive from the falls to Newport is about 2 hours. The views on the way aren’t bad but also not the most spectacular.

The town itself is a sleepy (and I use this term lightly as everything was closed down due to COVID) little town with the RICHEST clam chowder I ever had. I mean this stuff was THICCC. Delicious but rich. Matthew and I definitely had bigger eyes than our stomachs because we both ordered a bowl and could barely finish it. We ordered it from a place called “Ocean Blue at Gino’s” right across from the pier.

Since there was no indoor dining we decided to drive down to the beach and watch the sun start to set over the ocean.

Then we took off back towards Portland… but before we could get very far out of town we noticed a sign for “Devils Punchbowl” and decided to take the small detour off the road to view it before the sun went all the way down.

It was really cool – the tide was low so I’m not sure if the water shoots up through the giant hole in the rocks or not…. regardless – it was awe-inspiring. And a really quick view – the area is small and you can walk the path in just a few minutes down to the beach.

Then back to Portland it was.

Second Hand Stores

If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed (maybe even to an unhealthy point) with second hand shopping. And Portland is FULL of second hand and vintage stores.

The thing that upset me the most was the price… even the thrift stores had outrageously high prices. It was off-putting to say the least. I felt like I was in New York city with the price tags.

However, I found a few stores that were reasonable and they happen to be chains. (gasp)

The best for deals was Crossroads Trading Co – there is one on Hawthorne ave, which is nestled in with some neat vintage shops to pop into. Across the street is a really high end (with pretty reasonable prices) second hand store called 2nd STREET Hawthorne. Here you can get your Gucci and Burberry jackets along with your typical second hand garb.

Around the corner is a buffalo exchange with the COOLEST shoes. Tons of platforms, sparkly over the knee boots, clear heels – cross-dress-esque. I don’t know if they just got a good dump or if they regularly get fun items like that.

There is one more Crossroads across the river and through downtown that had a great selection as well. It is in the Northwest District.

But if you are willing to spend a pretty penny on some cool vintage or second hand items, take a trip down Hawthorne ave.

Mirror lake

We took another day to drive up to Mirror Lake in Government Camp, OR.

This drive was about 1.5 hours from Portland.

I’ll be honest with you – I was not impressed with this hike.

The hike is 3.7 miles round trip and was not too trafficked at the time, probably due to it being the beginning of winter.

The trail is moderate, with the beginning being pretty flat and then a few switch backs up to the lake. The hardest part was hiking on the ice.

The lake itself was iced over.. so there was no “mirror” in the lake for me. It just seemed like a snowy valley without a real spectacular view.

I would recommend this hike in the summer time, I hear that it is gorgeous and worth the crowds to see when the lake reflects the mountains.

After the hike we drove down the road a little to a town called “Zig Zag” and ate at a BBQ joint called “Skyway Bar and Grill”. They had really good mac n’ cheese, however, no matter what an Oregonian tells you…. this is NOT real BBQ. I suggest going with the Mac n’ Cheese plate as post hike fuel. The brisket on it was pretty good – the pulled pork I had was WAY too salty.

I was told they usually have live music and they do have a great beer selection. So a real rad hangout.

Sand Dunes at Sand Lake

Last but definitely not least was the trip to the sand dunes at Sand Lake – which is no longer a lake, just a large sand area now.

This is about an hour and 45 minutes directly west of Portland… longer if you are hauling some toys to play with.

We are lucky enough to have some redneck friends who like to have FUN. We had a nice little group in jeeps, dirt bikes, ATVs and a razor. The razor is my favorite and the smoothest ride.. I would recommend it to a newbie such as myself.

If you jump in a jeep with someone thinking it will be a safe feeling and smooth ride.. THINK AGAIN.

I nearly had a heart attack bouncing around in the back of a jeep. I still had fun.. it was just the kind of fun that you have on a wooden rollercoaster.

The dunes are gorgeous in themselves with the ocean for a nice back drop. Racing along the beach and up along the dunes made me feel like I was in a real life video game. But I much prefer driving.

One of the coolest things is the fact you can see Haystack Rock in the distance from the Dunes. Which is a big draw to the ocean side of Oregon. I’d recommend driving from the Dunes to it rather than walking tho…

And that sums up the rest of the trip!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Auf Wiedersehen

Portland

I will be honest with you…

I have been having a hard time writing my thoughts on Portland.

One, because it is a literal shit hole (excuse my French)

Two, because the rest of Oregon is not.

Matthew and I stayed in a hotel exactly one night in downtown Portland. On the way to said hotel, I questioned Matthew on our safety. I know it may come as a shock to you, but lining the street all the way to the hotel were various tents and fire pits along the sidewalks next to boarded up, abandoned businesses.

In a sense, the only living things were living on the streets.

The next morning we took a walk to grab some coffee from a shop between the boards. Between the piles of human feces and needle-laid bushes. Behind the beautiful yet sad graffiti painted streets.

Don’t get me wrong, I think we should be doing something to help these drug addicted people. But allowing them freedom to shit and shoot up wherever they please is NOT the answer.

In one part of the city there is a parking lot full of tents that is set up JUST LIKE A NORMAL NEIGHBORHOOD… but….They literally have no laws. They pay no taxes. They have no rules.. and they have no toilets.

Portland is a giant toilet.

Why is it that they can parade around in the masses, sans face masks, while working folk in California are threatened with the turning off of water and power if they have the audacity to do such a thing?

We are SO divided.

Where is the help? Why are we relying on the politicians who line their pockets with OUR MONEY to do something about this? When all they do is turn the other cheek and let them keep on living this way.

But I’ll stop before I piss too many people off.

So…. anyway. The graffiti was unbelievable. It was BEAUTIFUL.

The city has this ominous yet gorgeous glow to it. While you walk around in the fog, slightly worried about your safety.

You can’t help but stop and stare at the intricate paintings on the wood nailed onto the expensive shops on the red brick sidewalks. You could see the damage behind the wood from all the rioting. The cracks in the windows above the barrier around the Apple store.

Portland is beautiful in a very sad way.

Needless to say, we checked out of our hotel and moved into the outskirts of Portland. Where the homeless still live in the trees but society is still moving.

We can do better.

Leavenworth, WA, in a nutshell.

Our recent trip to Oregon was wonderful, to say the least.

We arrived the night of Thanksgiving and spent the night/half the next day with my husbands brother, his wife and their two children. It was a lot of fun and interesting to be considered their aunt. After a few thousand “Aunt Tracie”s I got pretty used to it.

The next morning around noon, Matthews friend came by and picked us up for the 4 hour drive from Portland to Leavenworth, WA.

We took the scenic route through the Dalles and were able to stop at Multnomha falls.

You can’t hike to the top right now but you can go to the recreation area at the bottom. It’s really pretty. And a quick stop.

Leavenworth, WA

We arrived in Leavenworth well after dark and we stopped in to grab a wiener or two. 😀

The town was lit up beautifully with Christmas decorations. It was a magical and gorgeous Bavarian town modeled after Munich itself.

However, the lines to grab a bite to eat were not magical….

With the COVID situation – seating is limited obviously. However, the restaurants still seemed ill-equipped for outdoor dining.

They had tables outside and 6 feet apart…. but for being a mountain town, they had little to no warming units near many of the tables.

So, after standing in line for “Munchen Haus” for about 30 minutes with no movement forward in sight, we hopped lines with numb toes and grabbed a quick table (about 15 minutes or so wait) at a place called “Leavenworth Sausage Garten”. I can’t say I loved the sausages… but they were good, just not for me. Which gives me anxiety about how I will like the food when we really are in the real Bavaria.

After the sausage fest 😀 we drove out to our airBnB in Plain, WA. About thirty minutes into the mountains north of Leavenworth proper. It was beautiful, but not recommended for normal cars and trucks. The roads ice easily and the snow gathers fast. We were lucky to have a great driver and a heavy SUV… that was only 2 wheel drive… again, not recommended.

I felt my first “drift” in a car.

(Shudders)

Anyway – back to the trip.

Icicle Ridge Trail

The next day we found a hike called icicle ridge trail. Right outside of Leavenworth proper.

The hike was a long series of steep switch backs with a gorgeous backdrop of the mountains that improved with every foot of elevation gain. It was seriously breathtaking (both in view and in effort).

The end of the trail was a snow covered ridge that overlooked Leavenworth. Which I prefer the backdrop of the mountains, but the view of the town was pretty awesome too.

The hike is about 5.5 miles round trip, it was not overcrowded, but I would recommend going earlier in the morning as the trail is narrow and passing people going up and down can get a bit tricky. It took us about 2.5 hours with stops for pictures

I won’t bore you with how much fun we had back at the cabin we were staying in. But I will recommend the game “Heads Up” – it can be downloaded on your cell phone and is sure to get some laughs.

Rhein Haus

We decided to wait to go back into town until Monday due to crowding.

So Monday, mid-morning, we packed up and stopped in Leavenworth on the way back to Portland.

Again, the food – it’s just not for me, so I’m probably the wurst (haha, get it?) person to take advice on where to eat here… but I had some fish and chips. The brats were loved by everyone else at the table and so was the beer – which I enjoyed a bit as well.

All the tables had a center fire – so it’s the best possible place to eat for warmth if you end up there in the winter… just know that the lines are long and slow, so a weekday is best for the eating and shopping, the weekends best for the hiking/exploring.

Some other things to do that we missed out on:

Skiing at Stevens Pass
München Haus – beer garten
Das boot at Rhein haus (you can’t do this during COVID as it requires two people to share)
Sleigh riding
Petting reindeer
Snowmobiling
Icicle brewing company

Any hiking past this month is pretty much non-existent unless you are snowshoeing or cross country skiing due to snow. We just happened to get in at a great time for good hikes (most hikes are around 9 miles so be prepared)

The town is so cute and nestled in the mountains, everywhere you look is like a picture book. It would make a fun day trip if you aren’t into outdoorsy things.

That’s it for my time in Washington, stay tuned for my take on the current Portland situation, a hike with ten waterfalls and some time at the Sand Dunes on the Oregon Coast.

Until next time,

Auf Wiedersehen

Running in circles

The title says it all…

SIX more weeks to go now until lift off to Germany. And yesterday we crossed the biggest hurdle of all… we were finally officially approved for our visas by the German Consulate.

And let me tell you – they did not make this an easy hurdle. It felt like they kept moving it further back and we nearly fell flat on our faces.

First of all – crossing all the red tape means a ton of paperwork for the government. Lots of documents to sign, lots of ducks to put in a row.

Beyond that – they kept coming back at us and asking for things that we didn’t have to legally give them (thank the LORD for having an immigrations lawyer on our side). However, having the lawyer read them the law and correct them rubbed them the wrong way – and it showed in our meeting.

Let’s back up to Monday. As we are getting the papers printed off at home- trying to get everything they emailed us to have with us correct to a T – I notice Matthews diploma is just a printed sheet of paper. I worry that it will not be enough and that we will probably have to give them the actual diploma. Matthew isn’t worried but he emails the Consulate early in that morning about it… and no one replies.

So we take off and make the drive from Dallas to Houston.

We get in with plenty of day left and go eat a late leisurely dinner at a place called Hearsay Market Square. I got a pork chop with fried brussels and gouda mac and cheese. Delicious. If I were rating it I would give it 4.8 stars, the 0.2 is because I’ve have better pork – to be honest. But it still was really tasty.

The building itself is the second oldest in Houston and has had three fires over the years. If you look up (and I mean you really have to look UP because it is a three story high ceiling) you can see the smoke damage to the upper most bricks.

Staff was super friendly and it’s one of those places you want to work at because everyone seems to get along. What an atmosphere to make money in.

Anyway – we finish up and head back across the street to where we are staying, Hotel Icon. Now, I’m not sure how old this building is, but it is OLD. And COOL. Matthew and I secured a suite on the penthouse level (posh I know) and the room was roomy and FUNKY. There was a clawfoot bathtub in the bedroom, which I regret not using.

And the place is definitely haunted.

—___—-

The next morning at 7:23 (to be exact) Matthew, who is in the middle of a conference call, and me, who is finding a breakfast eatery place nearby when his cell phone PINGS with an email.

It’s the German Consulate.

They want the original hard copy of his diploma, no paper copies.

SHIT.

We sit dumbfounded for a second as our meeting is at 11:45, the consulate closes at noon for some reason and his diploma is four hours away in Whitney with his mom.

Of COURSE this would happen.

Matthew immediately calls his mom and we make a plan to meet halfway in Hearne, TX at the Loves gas station. It is about a 1:40 hour drive for each party.

We take off – a relatively quiet ride while I try not to think about how fast we are going or what will happen if we miss our appointment. We make it with a very quick hello and throw the diploma in the back of the car. We grab a quick coffee and hightail it back towards Houston.

Obviously you know that we make it as I specified early that we were approved for our visa.

And we do. We make it back with 30 minutes to spare for a cup of Starbucks coffee and a bit of time to sit outside and sip before heading into the consulate.

A family with two children is ahead of us and they are all smiles and laughs and happy “good days”. It’s cute, the children have little German flags on sticks they are waving around.

Then it’s our turn.

Now I wish we had this on tape (but they make you turn off your cell phones).

We are called up to the window and are immediately told to “sit back down over there”. The lady in charge points back to the waiting room chairs. So we both sit.

“No! Just her” she says loudly and immediately turns back to her computer.

So I sit and Matthew, who not only has his diploma but I should tell you that it is still in the large frame from hanging on the wall, sits down with her.

“Place your documents in two even piles in the bin” she says to him without turning away from her computer. Not even a glance in his direction.

He pauses for a second and splits his pile of paper in half and attempts to place it evenly in the bin. Though the bin is not wide enough for two even stacks but he tries anyway.

She pulls the bin through, looks down and practically screams “I said TWO EVEN STACKS”. The bin comes back through.

Again, Matthew pauses for a second and begins rearranging the documents in to two overlapping stacks.

She pulls the bin through again “I said two even stacks, you should have two copies of everything”

—-____—-

This was not in her instructions nor was it ever mentioned to us to bring TWO copies of everything. She looks at us and decides that “It’s Fine”. A moment of weakness for her I suppose.

She begins to swiftly go through the documents and is literally throwing them in the bin without looking. She throws our wedding certificate out like it’s trash. I mean, why did they make us bring half the documents that were “required” if they weren’t even kept?

She shoves the bin back to Matthew and asks for my papers. So he places mine in the bin and again pushes it back to her.

“Where’s your wedding certificate?! Didn’t you bring it!” She practically is yelling.

I can hardly keep from rolling my eyes.

He picks it back up and hands it through to her…. without a single word.

Then like that he was approved. Bad-da-bing

After I come up and do the fingerprint scan and sign a few papers Matthew asks her about the diploma which is lying on the floor behind him.

“Oh I don’t need that one, this paper copy if fine”

I could have exploded with laughter.

As it turns out, all governments are the same. We burned a tank of gas and gave ourselves stomach ulcers for nothing.

And to make it worse, I missed breakfast and didn’t get a single decent cup of coffee. No, not even the Starbucks was good. They only had dark roast and it was burnt.

But it is done. We cleared the hurdle. Now in two weeks the visas will be in our hands and we can solely focus on the trip over.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time,

Auf Wiedersehen

Time to…. wait

It’s almost time… starting today we have seven weeks until we can fly to Germany.

The Visa’s have been “pre-approved” and we have our meeting with the German Consulate coming up on Tuesday in Houston.

The process thus far has been LONG and TEDIOUS. It seems to be a lot of hurry up and wait. And if it weren’t for this second surge of COVID we would have booked tickets out and spent the better part of November and December exploring the European countryside/looking for housing/settling in.

As it stands, we cannot go until Matthew’s start date (that’s my amazing husband). Which is Jan 1. At which time we must quarantine for a minimum of 5 days. During that time we are not allowed to leave our place of residence for anything… including walking our dogs.

OUR DOGS.

Now this has been a headache in itself. I cannot leave them here. I just can’t. I will be unable to function especially as they are older and even leaving them with my parents is out of the question. They are my babies.

However, in Munich the real estate is so desired that having a dog (let alone two) is quite a challenge. We’ve had to write motivational letters including pictures of us and the dogs to send to possible land lords (is that a PC term anymore?) as well as letters from prior landlords backing us up in the fact that I have raised two well behaved, house trained and beautiful mongrels. (Jury is still out for Pepe, however, Zucker is a gem).

Then we are tasked with flying them out. American Air and various other airlines have currently discontinued their flight program for relocating animals and no animals are to be transported on any the flights. I nearly had a breakdown at work when I read this. Luckily Lufthansa still allows animal transportation, so that is who we are planning on flying with as of today.

Then we met with a few pet relocation service providers… the average cost to ship them came out to be around 4k…. so! we are planning on doing it ourselves. We already purchased the approved kennels and have been working on the correct shots and approvals with vets and what have you… I won’t go into all the nitty gritty but just know it’s been stressful.

On top of that! I quit my job prematurely due to our original plan being us leaving this month (November). So I’ve got lots of time to do lots of things – all of which I haven’t been doing.

I spend my days working out, writing Matthew and I’s workouts, still buying and selling second hand clothes (due to COVID this has decreased substantially) and playing dress up. I practice German with Duolingo and I plan on starting language classes with Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich on Jan 7. I won’t be working when we get over there so I plan to just immerse myself in the culture and try to learn the language. Deutsch ist schwer.

For now I cross my fingers that I can go on our trip to Portland/Seattle in two weeks. The consulate meeting goes well next week. And we make it overseas with the dogs in tow with little to no more hurdles… who am I kidding, we are going to have tons to jump over.

Until my next post,

Auf Wiedersehen