adventures in london: part one

Last week, we finally took advantage of our close proximity to some bucket list destinations and hopped the train to the U.K. Josh's friend, Jas, had invited us to stay with he and his wife, and we used it as our excuse for one last big vacation before baby. Neither of us had ever been to London before, so we mostly just saw all the major sights, but we'll definitely be making a return trip to check out some more off-the-beaten-path locations.

We arrived Wednesday evening, got settled in, had an awesome dinner prepared by Jas's wife, Jennie, and turned in for an early bedtime so we could hit the ground running on Thursday.

We started off the day in Canary Wharf for breakfast, where we crossed over this really interesting footbridge seen above, to arrive at The Breakfast Club.

Josh had the English breakfast (as you do), and I had pancakes layered with ham, eggs, and cheese and topped with maple syrup. Delish.

The building the restaurant was in also had a really gorgeous greenhouse...

At Jennie's recommendation, we decided to head over to the Tower of London for the afternoon...

We took the tour, given by the Beefeaters, which was, in fact, really interesting. Ours was super animated and quite enjoyed picking on us Americans any chance he got. Who knew someone could make such a tragic and gory history lesson so entertaining?! At the Tower, we also got to see the Crown Jewels, but we weren't allowed to use cameras inside the building where they're kept.

You also got a really nice view of the city from the Tower walls...

Next, we crossed to Tower Bridge and headed to forage for some lunch...

It was already later in the afternoon, so we decided to just snack our way through Borough Market. 

We also stopped in Monmouth Coffee for a pick-me-up. Hallelujah for a great decaf latte!

Our last stop before heading back to meet our friends for dinner was to St. Paul's Cathedral. What a beautiful church... it's also probably the largest cathedral I've ever seen in my life. Simply stunning.

Stay tuned for Part Two of our London adventure coming soon!

All photos taken by yours truly using a Fuji X100 or by Josh via iPhone and edited in the VSCO app. 

the first update from germany

It's hard to believe we've already been here for almost a month... time flies crazy fast, and I know two years will be up before we know it.

Our first apartment selfie... complete with puffy eyes courtesy of jet lag.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with new adventures...

...countless hours in Ikea...

The first (and longest at a whopping 4 hours) of the three trips to IKEA. Who knew you could fit so much in the back of a station wagon?

...even more countless hours (and blood, sweat, and tears) assembling Ikea purchases...

...a German July 4th cookout with new friends...

...feeling defeated and savoring small victories - like finding salsa in a German grocery store...

...experiencing the first sweet baby kicks from the bambino growing inside me and reaching the halfway mark (WHAT??!!??)...

...struggling through a week-long heatwave in an apartment with no a/c...

...lots of DVD watching (since our home Internet just got hooked up yesterday... PRAISE!!) - including, but not limited to, Bad Boys II, High Fidelity, The Prestige, Just Married, Serendipity, and lots of other movies made before 2006 when we apparently stopped buying DVDs...

...being grateful for a husband who's patient and understanding in the midst of homesick meltdowns and a wife who surely seems like an insane person...

and mostly, shock and awe that this our crazy/awesome/unexpected life.

I'm not gonna lie... the first few days were a REAL struggle. Between jet lag, pregnancy hormones, missing our dog, and struggling with the language barrier, I was a complete wreck. But thankfully, slowly, I'm discovering a new normal. A normal that involves walking almost everywhere, more time to savor the things around me, weekend trips to fun European destinations, and strolls to the town center for ice cream cones at least three days a week :)

making a crazy adventure even crazier

Well, we're officially t-minus 48 hours until launch... er, the big move. I've ventured through the many stages of making a big change... from anxiety about leaving my home/friends/family/job to the get-it-done mode absolutely necessary for packing for an international move and now, to excitement for the adventure and unique opportunity that lies ahead. 

If you're wondering about my radio silence for the past several weeks, that's partially due to being busy (20%) and mostly due to my trying to keep the biggest secret of all time (80%). After returning from our trip to Europe in the spring, I developed a sudden and severe aversion to all of the wonderful Belgian chocolate that we had brought home. After a week of crazy food aversions, 8 p.m. bedtimes, and the inability to do much more than lay on the couch eating crackers, we decided something was surely wrong, and lo and behold, we found out that I was pregnant. That's right, we're having a baby AND moving to Germany!

Here are the answers to a few of our most common questions:

So you're having the baby in Germany, right? Because then it'll have dual citizenship and that will be awesome!

Unfortunately/fortunately - depending on how you look at - little baby G is going to be American born. I'll be returning to the U.S. in September to photograph my fall weddings, joined by Josh in early November to welcome our little one, and staying through the beginning of 2016 when all three of us can return to Europe together.

Where are you going to be staying while you're in the U.S.? You sold your house, right?

After finding out about the little bambino, Josh and I both had pretty strong feelings about our house. We decided to take it off the market, and keep it indefinitely. Though it was a tough decision, we're excited to have a home to return to in North Carolina both this fall and in 2017 when we're back permanently. I'm so incredibly grateful for an understanding realtor, the fabulous Nicole Rafferty, who assured me I was not a crazy person when I asked her to take down our listing after one week on the market.

How far along are you? When are you due?

As of today, we have officially hit the 18 week mark. I know everyone says it, but it's true... the weeks are flying by!! Baby's due date is November 20th, so mommy is just hoping he or she decides not to arrive on Thanksgiving so that we can enjoy a delicious home cooked Turkey Day dinner.

Do you know what you're having?

Well - we're about 99% sure it's a human baby, but we don't know whether it's a little mister or miss. And........ WE'RE NOT FINDING OUT!!! My doctor said it perfectly that we're Christmas Day kinda people... we don't like to open our presents a week before or even the night before, and we're looking forward to the best surprise ever. Place your bets now :)

Thanks to all of our family and friends for your help and support during our move and your sincere well wishes for our growing family... we surely don't know what we would do without you!