Our Apartment

Here's a glimpse into our humble abode. 

(I know you've been just dying to see it.)

I was going to clean it all up nicely for the pictures, but I'm too lazy. 

The living room, where we sit and watch the German version of "America's Funniest Home Videos." Which has nakedness, by the way.  

The bathroom, with the awkward glass that you pull out to turn it into a shower...

Kitchen- much bigger than I thought it was going to be! Just enough space, even if the fridge is about 1/3 the size of my one at home...

Our room (and no, we don't make our beds. But the cleaning lady does!) 

Our wall of closets-- we brought too many clothes. Especially the kind that won't be worn in Frankfurt's cold, wet climate. Oops. 

Our "Wintergarden," althought I'm told you can't sit out here in the winter because it's too dang cold. I'll be purchasing a heater, perhaps, and some hanging lights and hydrangeas. 

I do love my outside space. 

The view from our apartment towards the city center...  the smaller black building is Mike's work! He thoroughly enjoys his 'commute.' 

 We are happy with our home; it's close to everything. I personally love that there's a small church across the street, with a kindergarten and choir rehearsal that you hear throughout the day. 

I'm off to tackle the grocery store yet again... need to start making dinners for the sake of our budgets and waistlines!

All in a few days

Slowly acclimatizing to a life abroad. Sleeping lots, perhaps a combination of chilly, rainy weather, consumption of mass quantities of meat and potatoes, and walking more than I have in my entire life. 

What a lovely honeymoon phase its been (despite the weather, of course!) We've found ourselves trying out different restaurants and bars in search of the perfect meal, and oh, there are tons of contenders. We met up with an English speaking group for Friday drinks, ending up at an 'electronic swing' techno-type club (not quite our style,) but rolling with it anyways. 

Here's a list of things about Frankfurt that make me smile:

--Food. Duh. (I apologize for most of my pictures being of food, I can't help myself. I just want you all to share in my joy over a work of art that I have the opportunity to consume.)

--The amount of green space in this city. And the fact that there are bunnies in the parks instead of squirrels. (cue squeals of delight, obnoxious pointing and exclamations of, "OH! Look at that bunny hopping! He's soooo cuuuuttttteee!")

(I counted 12 in one spot! Those gray blobs are bunnies. Mike wouldn't let me stop to take the picture.)

--Beers, Bars, and Brats. 'Nuff said.

--Attempting our first dinner in the apartment. I scrapped the chicken noodle soup I had high hopes for because I couldn't find chicken broth. Or evaporated milk. And chicken is really expensive. So I bought what I believed to be discounted chicken... (looks like chicken?)

Turns out "putin-brutschnitzel" is turkey breast. We had no idea until someone we met up with later told us so. No wonder it was so cheap...

--There are all kinds of events going on at all times. This weekend was the "Skyscraper Festival," which included all my favorites-- giant machinery exhibitions, bagpipe bands, sausages on a giant, rotating spit, along with people bungee and ziplining off buildings, motorcycles on high tightropes and lots of excellent people-watching opportunities. 

Oh, let's just stick a child in a bucket and push him down a roller slide...

You could get in line to control the digger thing. I didn't want to wait with all the 6 year olds...

Do you see the motorcyclists up in the air?! Look by the white tents in the middle of the picture... 

Perfect ending to a great day-- fireworks-viewing from our balcony. 

It has begun!

After nearly a year's worth of anticipation, it's finally here. And I'm so happy to be here, like a kid in a candy store walking around with a huge dopey smile on my face. Where do I even start?! (Disclaimer: this post will be a rambling of sorts as I sit here and reflect on the last 24 hours...)

We  live in a city, a city with festivals and events going on every weekend, with amazing looking bakeries and coffee shops on every corner, outdoor restaurants that we'll never even get to them all. I sat with a couple from DC this morning who had lived here for four years, and they gave me a list of restaurants and day trips that I can't WAIT to try.

Our apartment is centrally located to everything-- so far I've set out on walking trips to explore the mile radius around our complex. The park across the street has bunnies, and I've already found my favorite coffee shop (there are squirrels on the cups!)

I was excited for Michael to show me the places he'd already explored and found, (seeing that he's been here for two weeks already!)

This is the opera house down the street from our apartment, named the "Best in the World" last year!! 

My first meal-- It was amazing. I wonder how long it will take before I tire of meat and potatoes? Probably never.

Today I accomplished stress-free food shopping (a friend had prepped me for the experience--- bring your own bag, bag your groceries yourself and do it all quickly.) I watched others checking out first so I wouldn't screw it up and I was successful.

Danielle-- I'm so glad I bought this bag from you! It was the perfect market satchel :)

I also had high ambitions of eating lunch in a park that's about a mile away, but after walking about a block I changed my mind and found coffee instead. The temperature dropped today (it'll be 35 degrees tonight!!) and it was starting to drizzle. Heck no-- hot dopio espresso macchiatto instead in the comfort of a warm cafe. 

The movers will be here soon and I will get to work making our apartment feel like 'home,' because right now it feels like a hotel (thus, causing us to dump our stuff everywhere as we would a hotel room.) I'll post pictures when it's put together. 

That's all for now-- going to practice my German with Rosetta Stone and apply for a sub position at the international school. Busy day over here :) 

A semi-retired life...

I'm thankful to have had a week and a half for a lot of this...

this as well...

Not many words at the moment, other than bringing up that I'm profoundly grateful for the sweet time with family and friends before this transition. I'm thankful that Mike gave the 'okay' to quit work a little early to prepare our home for this move, and to enjoy Florida for a brief moment in time. 

We rarely have opportunities to take a break from life, to return to our roots and allow ourselves to be pampered by our parents. For me, it was a retrospective jaunt through the town and memories that have woven themselves into who I am. A quick drive through the neighborhood I grew up in... favorite restaurants revisited, parks and beaches to explore like I did what seems like an eternity ago.

Beautiful moments with the fam, celebrating our intrinsic love of classical music and expressing ourselves through a grand concert (way to go, Mom!) 

(Ready for our date at the King Center) 

I spent as much time as possible outside, soaking up the pleasant Florida weather that I'm sure we'll miss...

(I'm obsessed with kayaking. Seriously.) 

I savored every moment, storing the pure bliss of being together and laughing over stupid things that only a connected family would understand. 

Michael and Annie-- you were missed! But I needed this time for me, to recharge and prepare myself mentally and emotionally for the next couple of years. 

Parting with this guy, finding... well... the strength and courage to let go and quit worrying. 

Not trying to sound corny, but to be honest, it was tough. He's going to have the most amazing time on his sabbatical and I'm grateful for Annie being willing to sacrifice to host him. 

(The night before I left he slept right next to me lengthwise. Bahhhh so many tears.....)

"See you later"s are tough, to understate the obvious. But that's where hope takes over-- I'll be seeing everyone soon, whether over the pond or here at home. Technology is incredible and I can talk without ease every day, if ya'll even want to talk that much! And what lies ahead far outweighs the pain of a brief physical separation of what it comfortable.

Leaving American soil tomorrow-- 

Auf Wiedersehen for now! 

a rambling on trust.

It's difficult to trust someone wholeheartedly, completely without reserve. We've been battered, lied to, maybe even entirely forsaken by those who were supposed to have our best interests in mind.

So what about when it comes to our faith? Do I really trust that God has all the intricate details of my life mapped out, and that He is going to weave it into a novel of epic proportions? I'd like to say that I do, but when it comes down to it, I fear that my proclamations of trust are merely words and not truly felt in my heart.

I found myself frustrated this morning as I haphazardly flipped through the study I'm attempting to finish (never mind that it was supposed  to end months ago; I have commitment issues.) The verse says, "God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always." After reading this, my initial thought was... Does he really, though? This past month alone we've had a bombing, a death toll of 1000 in the Bangladesh factories, four girls rescued after 10 years of unspeakable tragedy done to them, and don't even get me started on the Sandyhook shooting or conflicts in the Middle East or the crap that our sweet middle schoolers endure at home.

::Deeeeeeeep breath::

No wonder people find it difficult to trust God! There are too many whys. "Why would a God allow this to happen? Why didn't He stop these tragedies from occurring?"

I don't have answers. But I believe as humans we have a choice as to how we want to live our lives; obedience is not forced on us. God is not a slavedriver who expects us to serve Him joylessly. We have free will... bad things happen on this earth because we made the choice, thousands of years ago, to lone it on this planet. We abandoned paradise for the damning power of knowing the difference between good and evil, and evil definitely prevails on this planet. How different life would be if God stepped in and prevented every tragedy from occurring! Would we even be able to think for ourselves, to explore uncertainties and the incredible beauty that is life? I keep visualizing a scene out of "1984" or "A Wrinkle in Time" where we would all be the same and without reason to live.

The tragedies of this world are what causes me to be humbled and seek out a God who knows what He's doing. I so love the verse that talks about how faith is being sure of what we don't see... and a quick Google search found it in Hebrews 11--

11 ^1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

My heart rejoices in the first part of that verse. The fundamental fact of existence! We exist to love and serve a God who truly wants us to be happy.... a God who promises to guard our hearts from evil. And I have to hold on to that, because what would life be without this hope? How would we find it within ourselves to serve and love other people who don't deserve it? What would we be living and working and dying for, if not the hope of a higher calling, of loving on broken people?

You've probably stopped reading my ramblings by now... I've found that I love writing in this capacity because it helps me work through my own hesitancies and questions. I need to be constantly reminded why I want my life to be a reflection of Christ, because I'm weak. I have issues sticking with something.

I'll leave you with a challenge, to reflect on what it means to trust. What does trusting God truly look like to you?  I picture myself as a child-- Without a doubt, I trusted that my parents had my best interests in mind and would love me no matter what. I knew my daddy would catch me if I jumped off the edge of the pool. Maybe I didn't want to admit it, but I believed my parents knew what they were doing when they didn't let me go to the mall with my friends without an adult. It sucked and I momentarily hated them for it, but trusting them allowed me to get over it and see the greater good in the situation. I want to trust God the same way that a small child trusts her parents to guard her heart.

God gives us a reason to live. What are you going to do with your one life?

oh, what a night

It's way past my bedtime, but I feel compelled to pause and reflect on this absolute whirlwind of a day.
It started bright an early with an unexpected trip to the airport to drop off the hubs, whose flight had to be rescheduled from last night.

I arrived at home, only to zip out a few minutes later to bring tidings of joy in the form of McDonald's to my work spouses. Not going to lie; my heart was overflowing with how excited the kiddos were to see me... and honestly, the feeling was mutual. My life and career was complete when one kid, ( hair was different than the last time I saw him, slicked back with gel,) proudly announced, "Mrs. Checchia-- I'm a GREASER!" a reference to the novel "The Outsiders" that I started with them before leaving...

Back home.

I forgot to mention that my dad was home this whole time, attempting to attack the disgustingness that apparently lay dormant for years, daring us to move whatever it was that it hid under. Let's just say that I cleaned up more spilled drink rivers off the walls than I thought humanly possible...merely signs of fantastic memories made at the Checchias.

We had to break after an hour to drop off a chair at a friends. And pick up an anticipated satchel from Danielle's. Stop at Starbucks. Run the car through the giant washer. Which, by the way, I forgot how much I LOVE DOING THAT.

View from my window.. doesn't it look like an impressionist painting?!

D, however, did not love the car was as much as I did.

(He forced himself into the front seat and onto my lap.) 

Then it was home, James, and time for the epic cleaning-and-moving-crap-out session which lasted well into the night. I had the brilliant idea of allowing the locals to sift through the Goodwill pile for free.... which was a bust. We ended up taking it all home in the u-haul for another re-loading/thrift store drop off tomorrow. Greeeeeat.

But wait! I didn't say goodbye to Kim and baby Liam!
Diversion!

And my sweet friend Kristin stopped by, who was bequeathed with cleaning supplies. I love that word, bequeathed. Back to more non-stop cleaning.

And finally, when it seemed I would be wiping down surfaces for the rest of my life, it was over.

The house was empty
It echoed in that weird, unsettling way
as it hits you that it used to be filled with your stuff
our first house
where we had Cinco de Derby and "Amurica!" bashes
Thanksgiving with both families and 'homeless' friends
a first-time garden
your two best friends doing an 'extreme home makeover' on your back bedrooms
ping pong and foosball battles
Younglife and OM and middle schoolers everywhere
a half-way house for 2 out of 3 siblings

and it hit me that life was truly lived in this house. What a chapter to add to our stories! What memories and joy and ridiculousness was experienced in this house, this town.

I stood there staring into the dark and vacant kitchen and just. cried. my dad, being my dad, stood by me and choked up as well. Too much feeling wrapped up in one moment.

Good, sweet Lord, what a night.

expectations

I absolutely LOATHE packing. This is my worst nightmare. (Actually, my worst nightmare is a bike or mattress falling off someone's car in front of me during a rainstorm and I slam on the brakes, unable to control the car as I careen into oncoming traffic. But I digress.)

I'm attempting to wrap my mind around packing for Melbourne for a week, then for Germany in a different suitcase until our boxes are shipped. Add in Mike's suitcases, plus divvying up kitchen and bathroom items that cannot be shipped because they are open containers.

Then throw in "These items go to storage. These will be shipped. These to Mom & Dad's. And these to Goodwill" and you've got yourself one overwhelmed puppy who needs a break to eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Bagel Bites, and blog on the porch. And yes, I'm in a "What if I can't eat these things in Germany?!" stage, which is silly because I haven't craved either of these items since college.

Again, I digress.

The real reason for this warranted break is to document my expectations, or maybe not expectations, but rather my understanding of how this next year could possibly be. I'm pretty sure that when I read back over this posting in a year, it will have been nothing like I could have imagined, the good and the bad. Here it goes... an interview with myself:


Challenges?
      Part of me fears a communication barrier, although I'm going in with the assumption that most people will have a basic understanding of English. I mentioned this to someone who lived most of her life in Germany; she laughed when I said this and pretty much shut me down. We'll see.
      I fear being lonely, as a year is not a ton of time to make friends. Or not finding a church to plug into. I know these are lies and that God will provide, but it's still unsettling.
      I'm hesitant about our tight living quarters-- I don't think it will be a problem and could actually be nice to work with less, but I really don't know what to expect.


What will you crave that you assume you won't be able to obtain?
      Good pizza and Mexican food. This is probably hogwash because I'm moving to a big city with multiple cultures represented; I'm sure I'll find an excellent representative.


How do you see yourself spending your time? 
      I've always pictured myself working at a coffee or bookstore, but then again the language barrier is a wee problem. I'd love to blog or work in some type of position that involves writing, but who knows what would be available? My latest endeavor was applying as a substitute at the American school. That could pan out; then I could choose when to work if I had visitors in town. But does it even work the same way as it does here? And do I want to take on a teaching position?



Who knows. I should get back to packing and cleaning and whatever the heck else needs to be done.

Just rain, already

A gray, blusterpy day that smells of rain, yet none comes
Dull melancholy in the house, finishing up projects in this brief window of opportunity
(namely, a photo book depicting our Asia trip from two years ago)
Movies I've been dying to see, now checked off the list
(Django, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi)
Sadness settling in as I solidify our pack up dates
and D's impending departure to his sabbatical
which he might of picked up on, because he's been
staring at me all day long
A house in a state of disarray
the kitchen I feel like I've been cleaning nonstop
(only to have it return to its natural state)
items purchased, boxed up
anticipation mounting
fear creeping in
but peace settling in its place
patiently waiting for our upcoming transition

*********************************************************************************
Speaking of transitions, it wasn't difficult to slide into this life of temporary retirement.

On our walk today, I was on the phone with Annie in tears as we spoke of dates and logistics for D's big move. "I'm so saaaaaaad," I kept repeating, as D was his normal cute self, sniffing every weed and claiming it as his own. Then, he sprinted off to an exact location, which only means one thing... something's dead. Before I could get there, he'd covered himself in the distinctly awful goo and proudly continued on our walk. My tears dried up pretty quickly after that little episode.

Hey mom, I'm wet. Rolling in dirt will make me dry, right?