PCS to Germany...FINALLY.

Twenty-nine hours awake, twenty-one hours of travel, thirteen hours of flight, two mad dashes through airports, a forgotten diaper bag, lost luggage, and countless worries about my dogs later, and we finally made it. We spent our first night last night in Germany. The kids and I were asleep by 7:30. Jake was asleep by (I think) 9? Jackson is currently still sleeping and it’s 10:30 AM. That boy was exhausted. We all were.

I cannot tell you how incredible our airline was. Lufthansa is AMAZING. We sat economy and there was a decent amount of space. Next time, we will definitely be doing premium economy. The seats there recline more. They even have a foot rest that pops out (kind of like a recliner). The screens were bigger, and they serve meals on actual dishes. On Lufthansa international flights, alcohol is included. Ya’ll, I was asked about six times if I wanted a drink. I had two glasses of wine, and they even came through to refill everyone. Jake had a vodka sprite, a baileys (with his coffee), and a glass of red. It was glorious. That is how you get through twelve hours on a plane with two kids. Lufthansa knows what’s up. The food honestly was not bad. I was surprised. The kids meals were incredibly impressive. They also brought the kids meals first so that we could get them settled and fed and then feed ourselves. I can’t praise the Lufthansa service enough. Before each meal (dinner and breakfast) a hot towel was offered. Bella felt so fancy! She really enjoyed the flight. I think that is more praise than I can give: a nine-year-old enjoyed her twelve hour flight. They also took INCREDIBLE care of my dogs. I am forever grateful for that alone! I was so worried for my boy the entire time. Flying a snub-nose dog can be a problem because of their respiratory issues, but he did beautifully!

Both kids did absolutely incredible. I’m so, so proud of them! Jackson slept at LEAST six hours on the flight. Bella watched a ton of movies and made the best of an uncomfortable situation. Jake and I walked Jack up and down the aisles a few times, and there were people that stopped us to talk to him multiple times. There was a SUPER sweet elderly couple that spoke to him every time. The nice man kept calling Jackson his buddy and his wife was telling us he was so sweet! I’m so very proud of these two kids, and a lot less worried about traveling with such a young baby throughout Europe.

We were an hour delayed in our departure from LAX (sitting on the plane), so we only had an hour to get to our second flight in Frankfurt. We would not have made it if we did not have Jackson. We were allowed to pass through customs at the front of the line since we had a young baby. I was so grateful! We were drenched in sweat by the time we made it to our next flight. We made it, though! All of our checked baggage was delayed in Frankfurt. We didn’t get any of it until 9 PM last night. Honestly, it was fine, though. Ya girl is such a planner! I packed all four of us an extra outfit in Ziploc bags in my pink duffle carry-on bag. For toiletries, I walked to the small store near us and grabbed what we needed. I ALSO had packed extra diapers and wipes in that bag…thankfully, since Jake accidentally forgot our diaper bag on the first plane. You can’t blame him, he was rushed while carrying the pink duffle, a jacket, and a huge car seat. It happens, and it’s not a big deal. I have been determined not to let little things bother me on this adventure. The only thing that has bothered me? Not having a box fan. The store close to us don’t have any and the one we borrowed we don’t have the correct voltage thing for…aaaanndd we blew it up. We thought it was the right adapter, and we were wrong. It burnt up. Oops?

It was interesting and intimidating for me to hear so many languages other than my own surrounding me. I feel like we are incredibly sheltered in America. We insist that everyone speaks English, so anything else seems very overwhelming. I’m determined to learn a good bit of German in the three years that we are here!

So far, we have been checking into various things that we need to be checked into (getting onto the base, mostly stuff for Jake, etc). We have an AMAZING sponsor who has provided us with so much that we needed, taken us around to do what needs to be done, and has been introducing us to this neat way of life. We are so lucky and grateful that we were assigned a great person to ease us into this life! I am forever grateful.

We still have quite a lot to do: setting up cell phone service, Jake has to do some things for work…things of that nature. It’s a lot, but we are HERE. It doesn’t feel real yet. I don’t think it will until we are out in town, really immersed in the culture. I’m really nervous, but I’m determined to make this an epic adventure. We are going to become world travelers in the next three years. It’s going to be amazing.

We are thinking of where to go for the 4th of July holiday, or any long weekend in the near future. If you have any recommendations, let me know!

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