Heading Towards Freiburg

This morning we woke up an enjoyed a nice breakfast. Then we packed up everything and started biking towards the train station. We stopped for lunch at a park. Owen finished his beef jerky and had a buttered roll. I enjoyed Renate's yummy brown bread sandwich with butter and parmesan cheese.... It just isn't Germany without a cheese and butter sandwich! We returned the bikes at the rental place and enjoyed a nice ice cream cone before heading on the first of three train rides. In Lübeck we got on a double decker train to Hamburg. Then in Hamburg we boarded a night train to Freiburg.
While waiting for trains we made a list of some German words that Owen knows. Here they are but most are spelled the way they sound so we remember how to say it:
Ich Mac stein- I like stones
Banhoff- train
Vas is tas- what is this
Zug - train
Chuse- goodbye
Ve gates- how are you?

Tuesday July 31

Today will be our only full day on the island. Renate's family arrived last Thursday. Owen and I slept well and seem mostly over the time difference. We began our day with a nice breakfast. Then we biked over to the nearest place with food so Owen and I could get provisions for the day. Owen was eager to get some European chocolate also. After that we came back to relax. After lunch Owen gave Rahel and Noah the m&ms and the Crayola crayons. Then we headed over to the monkey tree and beach. Owen, Rahel and Andy enjoyed a refreshing swim. As we started biking, the rain clouds came so we stopped at a campground for cover. Then it stopped raining so we went to a park with trampolines, fun swings and a spinning ride. Soon it was time to head home and prepare dinner. Btw- spelled the island wrong yesterday- it is Fehmarn.

Ready or not- here we come!

Today is what I hope will be the start of an amazing vacation with mommy and Owen. (This trip was planned back in January, long before we knew about our big move to Colorado. So we are taking a break from all the stress of relocating 1700 miles and having a little mother/son bonding time.) We will be flying on SAS airlines from Newark to Copenhagen. Our flight leaves at 5:40. We left Denville at 2:00 and since we left plenty of time for traffic or other surprises things went perfectly smooth and we were through security and seating near the gate before 3:00! I have not done international travel since Ireland five years ago but I was very surprised that there was zero wait to get through security. Once we got here we had a lot of time to kill with very little options. So we had a bite to eat at an overpriced Irish pub and we started reading our books. Owen is reading Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka and I am reading The Power by Rhonda Byrne.
Things started off pretty smooth with a quick boarding and prompt take off. Then Owen seemed to catch a bug and he spent much of the plane ride with a barf bag. Thank goodness he gets A++++ for aim and we managed to make it through the flight without too many people knowing what was going on. After clearing customs in Copenhagen we took a ten minute train to the main station. Then we waited about ninety minutes to board our three hour train ride to the island of Fehmarn. My little trooper was trying hard to hang tough but I know it wasn't easy. I created a makeshift bed in a quiet corner of the train station and rested Owen's head on my lap so he could sleep. This left me in an awkward position but there was no way I was going to risk waking him so I sat and enjoyed the people watching. At one point a lady came up to me with a bright smile and a question and I replied that I only know English. She then said Can I buy you a coffee? I think she thought we were down on our luck. I said no thanks. It was enough that she asked.
It was time to board the train. We went down to track 8 and settled into some seats. After a few stops we needed to move because we did not have reservations. I woke Owen up and we settled between cars. Owen quickly fell back asleep... I had no idea he had such hobo tendencies...Then the train split and the front eight cars actually went on the ferry. Once the train was on the ferry we got off the train and walked around the ferry for forty five minutes. Then we all got back on the train and it pulled off the ferry. A few minutes later we arrived at our destination - Puttgarden. I saw a girl with red hair running and wondered if it was Rahel. Then I saw Walter, Renate's father. They had already rented bikes for us and peddled them to the ferry. We got on the bikes and started riding to the house. After about an hour we arrived at the house and Owen finally got time sleeping in a bed that I had been promising. After a short nap I woke him up and he ate a big bowl of rice and a buttered roll. He seemed all better. After dinner the children danced and played UNO. I fought sleep as long as I could but gave in at 7PM.

Final Days of the Adventure Pt One

Thanks to Laurel for her update the other day. I was hoping she would continue with her updates but it looks like you are all back to boring me :). So here is what is new so far. First off, I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better. I think I just did not stay hydrated enough and I had a really bad headache. Yesterday morning we returned to Sandstone Ranch again- one of many parks in Longmont. The children played for hours and I loved the people watching of happy families biking and playing. After that we headed over to our reward for four nights of tent camping far away from the bathrooms- Holiday Inn Express for a day of swimming and laundry and air conditioning. Then we went over to BBQ with the Lary family. It was so much fun to hang with old friends and meet new ones. L&o had fun entertaining the younger crowd.
Today we mostly did chores. I got a few basic cleaning supplies at target and we headed back to our apartment so we could store the car in a garage there. Then we took a lengthy shuttle process to get closer to the airport for our flight tomorrow.
All in all it was a great time with Laurel and Owen. I feel much less scared than I did a week ago- during this time we found somewhere to live for the short term, we know which schools to regster l&o fr and I also heard good news about my license. Not only did I get approved for elementary teacher and k-12 school librarian but I will also be certified to teach high school social studies! But of course it still is not 100% because I am STILL waiting for my fingerprints to be approved. I have no idea why this takes so long but I can assure you my fingerprints have no history and hopefully this means my offer will become official soon.
Most important I am grateful that laurel, Owen and I have ad a great time bonding with many laughs. I do not think we could have picked a better time for this trip if I had actually planned it. They are at a great age for this kind of road trip. The only thing that would have made it better would be if Justin was here with us. But absence makes the heart grow fonder and we all can't wait to hug him at the airport tomorrow night!
So tomorrow we head back to NJ and there will not be much blogging for a couple weeks. I will mostly be packing and catching up with people before we become official residents of Colorado.

Guest Blogger- lkr

Hi everybody! It's laurel. I am blogging today because unfortunately Helen (mom) is sick. Anyway, today we started off our day at the world's biggest farmer's market. (not really. I'm just exaggerating.) It had ice cream, breakfast pizza's, and even giant pretzels! After the farmers market we went to the Nederlands. The ride was amazingly beautiful and other than the fact that mom got lost, it wasn't to long. At the Nederlands, We went on the carousel of happiness. It made everyone happy except for one little girl who didn't feel so good and threw up. Ewwwww!

After the carousel we went to a wonderful all you can eat Indian food buffet. I forget the name though. Sorry.

When we we came home there was a nasty surprise waiting for us. Our stink'n tent had collapsed!!!!! So then, of course I had to climb in that hot bag and rescue all of our stuff. Man was it hot in there!

To end off our day of adventures, we went to Sandstone Ranch park until there was another barfing incident by a 3 year old. Once again, Ewwwww!

Well, there is isn't much more to say then bye! Hope you enjoyed my blog! :)

Sunset Pool

Today we looked around at some possible new neighborhoods to see what we might buy at some point. Then we cooled off at the public library. By one o'clock we headed over to Sunset Pool. This is a wonderful area with a mountain view. Laurel and Owen both enjoyed all the water slides and diving boards. After showering back at the campground we headed over to see a B52's cover band. It was a great day but I really hope I sleep tonight.

Lyons and Estes Park

This morning I got lost a little less than usual.... I am making some progress at figuring out this new area. We went to Kohls so L&O could use a generous gift card from nana. Then we met with my new principal and got a tour of LHS. It is a wonderful facility filled with friendly people. I got a really great feeling being there. After seeing my future workplace, we spent some time exploring our future neighborhoods. We went to the next town over, Lyons. And guess what we found? Another brew pub! Whoever said Bulder County is a micro-brew enthusiast's playground wasn't kidding! We really just wanted a good lunch to reward us for a rough night of camping....and we stumbled on my favorite eatery yet- Oskar Blues Grill and Brew.
Oskar Blues
After lunch we went to Meadowbrook Park so L&O could cool off in a refreshing Colorado river. I will need to find out the name of the river but from the looks on their faces this Colorado heat doesn't do much to heat up the temperature of the rivers!
Next up was a relaxing drive over to Estes Park. We enjoyed a nice stroll along the river and looked at some shops and just enjoyed some laid back time enjoying each other's company.
On our way back to town we stopped in Lyons again to play some pinball. Lyons pinball
This place reminded us a lot of the pinball museum in Asbury Park. Who knows- maybe Justin will join a pinball league :). It was a great place filled with (as always) friendly people. The three of us can't get over how friendly everyone is no matter where we go.
We had one final stop to make before this tired group headed back to camp. We needed to go to target for some basic camping provisions: ice, milk, fruit and a tent that wouldn't blow away! With a little luck now we are set for a much-needed good night's sleep.