Sweden, Easter, Sara's birthday

The final leg of our 2013 spring trip.  Another short flight and we arrived in Stockholm, Sweden.  It was Saturday and the next day was Easter Sunday (and Sara's birthday).  Once we made it to our apartment, we headed right back out to hit up the store for food (and drink).
**Travel Tip: we have learned the hard way and we will always ask in advance from now on...each country has different laws about alcohol.  What they can/can't sell in stores, and when the stores are actually open.  So, for your future travels...keep that in mind if you'd like to have a nice glass of wine when you get to your destination.

With that being said, we couldn't buy a bottle of wine until the third day we were in Sweden.  The local liquor shop was already closed Saturday, and nothing was open Easter Sunday.  Sigh.  We settled for beer instead.  meh.
At the store we stocked up on little items to try and replicate how our Easter would be had we been in the states.  We managed to find eggs and a few fun items. Plus stuff for coloring eggs...the girls loved that!  Matt and I had fun hiding all the goodies around the apartment once the girls went to bed.  The Easter bunny travels well!  ;)  Easter in Sweden is very different...here's a little info about it: Children dress up as Easter witches with long skirts, colorful headscarves and painted red cheeks, then go from house to house in the neighborhood and present the occupants with paintings and drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return. According to Swedish folklore, during Easter the witches fly to Blåkulla (the Blue Mountain) to meet the devil.
Small branches and twigs of willow or birch are a common sight in every Swedish house during the Eater holidays. Feathers and small decorations are also placed on these twigs in a vase.
So, yeah, a bit different than what we are used to!  :)

happy birthday and happy Easter! :)

That same day we headed to a place called Skansen.  Its an open air museum where you feel like you've traveled back in time.  Swedish time.  We loved seeing the old buildings and various animals.  We ate real Swedish meatballs...yum!  We really enjoyed the reindeer, they are kinda goofy looking actually!  lol  It was a great way to spend Easter and Sara's birthday.  We took her out to eat for her birthday and she got to enjoy a huge banana split for dessert!  Happy 6 year old girl!  (check out more about Skansen here: http://www.skansen.se/en/kategori/english)

Swedish meatballs...yum!

Stockholm is a huge city.  So we had to pick and choose what we wanted to see.  I wanted to see the old parts of town the most, so we headed to Galam Stan.  This is where Stockholm was founded in 1252.  So cool.  We found the narrowest alleyway in all of Sweden, wandered through cobblestone streets lined with colorful shops and homes.  I loved it.  :)  We also took a visit to the royal palace...I wasn't supposed to take any pix, but I did sneak a shot of the gorgeous chandeliers.  Amazing.

Matt is standing next to the narrowest alleyway, top left is Galam Stan, top right are Easter feathers, 

bottom corners are the Swedish guard.

top corners in Skansen, bottom left is another shot of the alleyway, middle is inside the Royal Palace, spring flowers and a shot of the underground.

left is part of the beautiful old town, middle is my sneaky shot inside the palace, top right is the home where Mikael Blomkvist lived from the book/movie, next two are just shots of the city.

I had already read all three books in the series of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I found that you could buy a map and tour the places in the book and used in the movie (the Swedish version).  We just told the girls we were going to see places from a movie.  That was the extent of that explanation.  It was really fun...sort of like a scavenger hunt.  Took us through back walkways, and places we never would have sought out on our own.   

top left is where Lisbeth bought stuff for her new apartment, top right is the bar she hung out in, the others just more shots of the city

some shots around the city, Skansen, underground

The last place we visited was the Sky View.  An awesome globe that takes you up 426 ft for killer views of Stockholm.  The girls really loved it and I got some pretty cool pictures.  :)
During the trip we had a great time taking the underground where we needed to go and spent time cooking some yummy dinners at home as well.  Matt indulged in as much caviar as he could!  lol  It was a beautiful city and I'd love to go back and explore more someday.

And then, it was time.  Time to head back to Saudi.  What a great spring vacation.  ;D

beautiful girls.  :)

 

Copenhagen

I am having THE hardest time getting caught up on my blog!  I really want to make sure I keep this going because I plan to one day turn it into a book for our daughters to have.  I need to get my butt in gear and get this thing back on track!
So to finally finish up our spring trip from LAST year. (god I'm so behind)
After leaving Amsterdam, we flew to Copenhagen.  I figured it was a small country and therefore wouldn't be much to see so we only chose to stay for 3 days.  Boy was I wrong.  I wish I had done more research before booking the flights.  There were many (many many) more things we would have like to have seen... (and very family friendly) but just didn't have the time.
We stayed in an awesome apartment that was totally a typical Netherland home.  I loved it.  Simple, loads of natural light, and it just felt cozy.  We were still dealing with wicked cold weather.  The river in front of our apartment was nearly frozen solid.  But, of course, we are not the kind of family to hide from our adventures just because of a little cold...off we went in search of fun things to see.

views from our apartment

One of my (and the girls') favorite stops was at Rosenborg Castle.  I'm a sucker for castles.  Love 'em.  The castle was wonderful, but the best was seeing the crown jewels.  Oh man, do I love sparkly things and to see the size of some of the stones on those pieces, my jaw did some serious dropping.  Ah, the royal life.  ;)

Another huge favorite of mine was seeing the famous Nyhavn street with its gorgeously colorful houses and shops.  The ships pull right up (and at that time, they were maneuvering around huge chunks of ice in the water...told you it was cold).  

So, we did have a couple of hiccups in an otherwise seamless three day trip.  #1: it was Sara's 6th birthday, and I found that one of the ONLY Disney Stores in all of Europe was right there in lil' ol' Copenhagen.  Sara couldn't wait to pick out a gift!  So off we went in search of the store....and what do we find??  Yep, it's closed.  Easter holidays.  Well, you can guess what happened next....crocodile tears galore (for both kids)  I felt awful.  It was a Friday!  It should have been open!!!!  BUT!  Our last day there, the store did open!  And $75 later we had two VERY happy kiddos.  ;)  Small miracles and all that. 
That leaves us with #2:  oh, what a day this was.  There is a famous statue called "the Little Mermaid." Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson.  We had some friends that met up with us in Copenhagen and that day we had lunch, hung out, went to a museum, etc.  But the girls really (really) wanted to see this statue.  It was cold...and windy...oh so windy.  Heads down, off we went.  We could not find the stupid thing!!!!  We must have walked for over and hour and a half.  Everyone was miserable.  Our friends gave up and headed back.  We pressed on...sure that we were close.  And then!  Yes!  There is was!  A giant mermaid...with nothing covering her, at all.  Wait, what??  This is it?  Oh god.  The girls didn't seem to pay much attention.  

But, then...we found out, this isn't the one.  WHAT?  &^$%.  We ducked into a restaurant to thaw out...girls sipping hot cocoa and mommy and daddy warming our tummies with wine.  We called a taxi from the restaurant because there was no way we were walking back to our apartment.  Lucky for us, the taxi driver was nice (and spoke good English) and he drove us to see the real statue.  What a let down.  The girls didn't even like it.  It certainly wasn't created by Disney.  Ah well, it was one hell of an adventure. 

Another highlight was the day it snowed.  It was incredible.  Huge, fat flakes floating from the sky.  I thought our girls were going to go crazy...they ran around with their tongues hanging out trying to catch the flakes.

All in all I really liked Copenhagen and I'm sad that we couldn't get around to see the other must visit sites, museums and gardens.  Just means we have to go back, right???  :D

A few parting pix:

Spring Trippin' Part 1....Amsterdam & Belgium

I was SO excited for this trip.  I'd worked really hard planning it and had a hell of a time finding accommodations in Copenhagen and Stockholm.  Not just because of pricing, but also limited choices...I almost had to book a hotel! (eek!)  lol
Our first stop was Amsterdam...and by far the most unique of the trip.  We rented this amazing houseboat right on the canal.  This thing was just bad ass.  I fell in love with it online and it was even better in person.  What we weren't prepared for...it was COLD!  Here I was thinking I'd get to see the fields of tulips!  Yeah, no.  We were a few weeks too early.  Now, I was totally all for a break from the Saudi heat...but man, we just weren't expecting this.
Amsterdam is such a unique city.  I just fell in love with it...even toying with the idea of what it would be like to live there..but, the abundance of "coffee shops" made me think twice about raising the kiddos in a city like that.  Oh sure, you think there is nothing wrong with coffee shops....hence my quotation marks.  Coffeeshops in Amsterdam are happy places...oh yeah, as almost all know...weed, hash and even shrooms are legal there.  So, the coffee shops line the streets and just walking past you could easily get a second hand high with the fumes wafting out from inside.  It was really pretty impressive.  And of course, you have the Red Light District...and yes, we went.  It was a rainy, cold night and we decided to grab a bike taxi to take us home.  We thought...hey, why don't you just drive us down the famous street?  We won't get out...but I mean, we gotta see what its all about!  So, we headed off...we deftly kept the girls looking out the one window that looked over the canal in a constant search for swans...while the hubby and I peered the other way.  A whole block full of establishments...window boxes on display and each containing a barely dressed young girl.  And that was it.  Okay.  Check.  Saw it...moving on.

Speaking of bikes...I was totally in awe of the bikes!  Everyone of every age was on some form of bicycle.  They would be piled up all over the city and there was even a HUGE parking garage...for bikes only!  No matter what the weather was like...they were all out there.  It was so fun to sit on our houseboat and just watch them go by.  And...I guess this goes hand in hand...but nearly every person was fit!  You had to look really, really hard and for quite some time to spot anyone overweight...and 9 times outta 10....they were tourists.  yah, so.
The buildings are everything we hoped they would be...crooked, leaning, multiple colors, narrow...just stunning.  We were pretty lazy on this trip.  One we didn't want to leave the houseboat and two, well, it was fun just to wander around.  The food there was ok, nothing amazing...EXCEPT for the tomatoes.  Seriously.  Holland makes their own version of a cherry tomato and it is unlike anything I've ever had.  Sweet and bright red...I should have turned into a tomato after the amount I consumed.  You can't find them anywhere else either...which makes me want to cry.

views from our houseboat and one from a lovely little place we had lunch

one of the many cafes (note the signage), my gorgeous, yummy tomatoes, Matt found a lovely dutch lady, and me chillin' on our houseboat...despite the freezing temp

cold or not...we enjoyed the outdoor market (and then scrambled to find a warm place for lunch!) the lovely canals and amazing row houses

can't forget the meats and cheeses!  and more awesome architecture 

a killer night shot, a pic of our houseboat from the outside, the girls trying on the famous wooden shoes, and more pretty row houses

it was too cold yet for the tulips to be in bloom everywhere, but I managed to get some at the local market :)

We did decide to take a couple of day trips while we were there.  The first was to Belgium.  Yeah, we straight up headed over to another country for the day.  They have this famous town called Brugge.  Old and quite with a cute little canal running through the town.  It was calling to me.  So, we rented a car and headed off.  Girls content in the back with movies and Matt and I enjoying the countryside.
We arrived in Brugge and had to force ourselves out of the car.  It was COLD!  Girls weren't too happy, but we told them they could go up a tower...so, yeah, that works everytime.  I think if we had been there a few weeks later it would have been jaw dropping.  To say the least it was just lovely.  So old...cobblestones, quirky buildings...just wow.  We took a boat ride and the girls really enjoyed that.  Had a nice little lunch with some killer Belgium beer and of course sampled the chocolates and waffles!  Really wish we could have spent more time there...loads more we could have seen.  Would definately go back.

chocolates and waffles!

hot chocolate was perfect on this freezing day!!  Matt had to sport the Smitty shirt (for my brother)...he was half frozen after I finished taking the pic!

loved the architecture!

Our second day trip was to head out to the town of Zaanse Schans.  This was an absolute must because we all wanted to see real windmills.  We rented a car and headed off.  Today would be THE coldest day of our trip.  The wind was blowing and the temps were near zero.  COLD.  But, it was worth braving the elements to see these beautiful windmills in action.  The little town was so quaint, I can only imagine how pretty it would be once spring actually showed up.  We wandered through old buildings, saw the inside of a windmill in action, and watched the making of the famous wooden shoes.  After a much needed warm lunch, we headed back into Amsterdam and our lovely little houseboat.  We toyed with the thought of touring Ann Franks house, but when we saw the HUGE line we changed our minds.  Besides, not sure I wanted the girls seeing those photos just yet...they are still so young and innocent!  ;)

All in all, it was a great start to our Spring trip.  I really wish the weather had been a bit warmer and we could have seen the famous tulips, but well, I'm just happy we were able to go and that we all had a great time....
Next stop....Copenhagen!!

A New Life...in Austin, Texas

So, here we are...all moved in and settled in our new home in Austin, TX.  We've been here just over 3 weeks now...though it seems so much longer for some reason.
There is SO much for me to catch up on, but I figured I would start with the most recent and then work my way back over the last few months.
It wasn't easy trying to find somewhere to live...I mean, my husband decided to go for Austin for a few different reasons:  Its number 10 on Forbes fastest growing cities since the recession, its a great place to be for his work, his family is close by (for the first time in over 10 years), we have friends here, and well, why not?  I began doing my research trying to figure out the best areas in Austin to live...and there are quite a few.  My biggest consideration was the schools.  I wanted the best for my girls.  After that, we just wanted somewhere nice and maybe near the lakes.  

some of the homes near the lake

We finally decided on a place called Steiner Ranch.  It's actually not really someplace Matt and I would have normally looked at...it's a huge master planned community...and well, the hubby and I usually prefer a bit more of an eclectic neighborhood...something with a bit of character.  But, the schools were supposed to be great, we had friends close by, and the lake was just a short drive away.
And...that's where we are.  I finally found a house to rent and thanks to some amazing friends helping out, we landed it.  (its not easy trying to rent a house in the US when you are living in Italy!)  
Next came organizing our shipment from California plus a bunch of items I ordered via Amazon to help restock our house.  
As soon as we got here, we took off running...there was so much to do!  We had to get the girls registered for school, get our new Texas drivers licenses, run errands, get school supplies...etc etc.  It was chaos for awhile.  
We've got a bit of a routine now...the girls are loving school, they have gymnastics twice a week and dance once.  We've hung out with friends on the weekends, and I've managed to get back into working out again!!  (whoo hoo!)  
Steiner is...interesting.  Loads of transplants from California, the Carolina's and other states...  The majority of the women (and men) here seem very fit.  The first day of school we walked the girls over to campus and I was amazed at the amount of women in workout clothes.  Runners, bikers, tennis...never seen such a group!  (and it made me want to hurry up and get my butt in gear too!)  You see people on bikes and running all over the community.  Sometimes it can seem a bit Stepford Wifey...but I've met some really nice ladies so far.  Even the kids are fit here!  Not very many kids fit the category of obese ..at all.  
The area here is hilly and green so that makes me happy...I love me some green!  Downside...it takes a LONG time to get anywhere.  We live towards the back of the community, so just to get to the main road takes about 10 minutes.  And the traffic...oh the traffic.  Talk about having to plan your day!  I don't even attempt to leave the house to run errands till after 10am.  Its about a 30 minute drive to get to any shopping centers (except HEB (grocery store) and Target) and the girls gymnastics.  So, that's taken some getting used to...at least I'm in charge...got my own truck to drive!  :) 
The homes here are very nice and well kept, ranging from apartment areas to huge monster homes.  There are 3 community centers, a golf course, restaurants, and a grocery store, plus other retail shops and businesses.  We are 10 minutes from the lake.  People are super friendly too...always waving and saying hello to each other (such a change for us).  And you can't beat the Texas hospitality...there is always someone willing to help you out no matter where you are....its pretty impressive.  And I don't even mind being called "mam".  Love the manners here.  :)
I'm not sure if it'll be our forever place to stay, but for right now...its just fine.  I mean, we're stateside...my girls are in activities again...I can drive and ride my bike...it's good.  Real good.

The next step for me is to start exploring more of this unique city.
(the photos on this post are off the internet...I haven't gotten around to taking my own pix yet...)

birds eye of our commnuity

the entrance to our community

the community center in our neighborhood of Bella Mar (this is just a 10 min walk from our home)

Land of the Free...I'm Home.

I apologize to those of you who may have thought I fell off the face of the Earth....but so much has happened in the last few months...
To begin:
It wasn't supposed to happen this way...but in my heart I truly believe everything happens for a reason...so, here I am, back in the States...home.  Well...sort of...
I guess the trigger was pulled when my mom's visa to Saudi didn't come through as planned...I knew better than to get my hopes up...but well, that's sort of a pitfall of mine.  We had everything booked...flights, trips, planned events..it was going to be wonderful.  But, there she sat...bags packed and no where to go.  Yeah, well....enough right??
So, after talks with the hubby and thinking about family and all the other many things going on we decided...its time to go home, for good.  My darling husband would stay and finish out his work in Saudi, but the girls and I would head for the land of the free.  It was quick...and I didn't get time to say goodbye to most of my friends in Saudi...for which I'm sorry, but well, things just happen a certain way sometimes and you just have to go with the flow. 
With a happy heart, I called my grandmother (a still young 89 yr old) and told her the good news...if she'd have us, the girls and I would love to stay with her for awhile.  I always regretted how short our time was together the last time I was there, so this time I wanted to stick around awhile.  The girls were so excited to see their GG (great-grandma).  Took us three planes to make it back to the States plus 5 suitcases, two car seats, three humans and three carry-ons.  That was fun.  Not. 
But we made it and spent 6 wonderful weeks in Ohio. 

the girls and their GG

 

 My mom came to visit there instead (no visa required) for four weeks and four generations had an absolute blast together.  Spring was in full bloom and I realized I'd never lived anywhere that had a spring like this...the colors were just incredible!  We got to spend time with family, attended my cousins graduation from Ohio State University where the President of the USA gave the commencement speech, and the girls even got to go to gymnastics twice a week!  (which the loved so much!)  We were all together for Mother's Day as well...which was a first in a very long time.  So, yep...I was totally stoked to be back in the States...

 

 

 

Ohio State U graduation

 

mother's day...3 generations...love

 

Now, I sit here in Texas.  I'm staying with my in-laws for a total of 5 weeks.  For the first two...we were blessed that Daddy was able to come and visit.  The girls were missing him so much.  So we had the whole family together for two weeks...and just this past Thursday he headed back.  Countdown begins with 56 days left till we are whole again.  So far, we've had a great time here in Texas...the girls got to hang out with their cousins and visit the American Girl Doll store (where Sara stated to her aunt "this is the best day ever!!")  we've visited friends, took the girls to a wild animal park where a zebra attempted to take the bag of food from my baby's lap!  Girls are signed up for gymnastics again here, and they are swimming almost everyday in Opa and Oma's pool.  (hubby's parents)  It's really nice to have family to spend time with.  :)

 

 

 

cousins and dolls

Since I'm an early planner, I had already booked part of my summer trips back in December.  Therefore, in three weeks, the girls and I will be heading for Italy.  It will be a great month long trip followed by meeting up with Daddy in Prague. 
It's been such a whirlwind...
Would I change anything?  No, I'd do it all over again...I would just try to be better prepared for the ups and downs of living in a place like Saudi.  I made some amazing friends, the girls had wonderful experiences, and we got to partake in many fantastic trips.  I must say, coming back to the States was almost culture shock in reverse.  I started jogging a bit in Ohio and I would just smile and think of how wonderful it was to be outside, without the abaya..doing what I want.  And then getting to drive!!!  And coming and going as I pleased!  Not to forget just how awesome it was to go shopping at Target!!  lol  I had to hold myself back at the grocery store and not buy every single thing I saw.  I reminded myself that the items would be there the next day...and the day after.  After not setting foot in the states for over 9 months, it was pretty surreal.  Now I'm getting back into the groove of things, but I still find myself in awe of the wonderfulness of living in a place with such freedom.  If nothing else, Saudi has taught me to really appreciate what you have in life and have a little more patience with the people and things around you... 
But!!  This isn't the end...we still have many more trips planned and other events...I plan to continue to help those thinking of making the move to Saudi in any way I can.  And I'm going to keep blogging about our life and travels...so one day, I can publish it all into a book for my daughters to keep forever. 
I'm still behind on travel posts and the hubby promised me some more posts about Saudi that we didn't get around to publishing yet. 
I'm so thankful and blessed for this life...much more to come...  :)