Berlin in a Day!

Day 7 - Today we would work HARD to pack as much of Berlin in as possible!  WW2, Cold War, Berlin Wall, Museums....let's do it ALL!

We started our morning off with an AMAZING breakfast at a place called Einsteins - not like the ones in America.  We had a pretty American breakfast which was a great start to our day.  We took off on our adventure to see as much as possible in the city.  First stop was to find the Fuhrer Bunker.  Now, this isn't actually a thing any more so we were looking for a parking lot with a sign to show you that you found it.  This is the location of Hitler's bunker where he and Ava Brown committed suicide at the end of WW2.  The city of Berlin decided long ago to demolish the bunker and to NOT make it a site to be seen.  We read about the location and what happened there and then moved along to our next stop.  As horrible as the history is it really is amazing to be standing in the places where so much history was made. 

Off we went to Checkpoint Charlie!  This was the US run checkpoint that marked the border between East and West Berlin.  The checkpoint itself is a small building with a few American flags and lots of tourists.  Around the area there is an outdoor museum that walks through the events of the Cold War and through the years of the Berlin Wall.  I really enjoyed reading about the history especially since it really is such recent history that our parents even experienced. 

After we took in Checkpoint Charlie we were wondering around a bit seeing some of the city when I realized I had lost our Berlin Welcome Card tickets.....Yep....those expensive tickets that Bryce didn't think we should buy in the first place?  Those.  #sigh.  I quietly told Anne then went to meet my maker and told Bryce.  She quietly told JD and we continued on our walk, quietly.  JD talked quietly to Bryce and I talked quietly to Anne.  I'm telling you the four of us are the BEST travel partners ever - we can pull each other through even the hardest of times - effortlessly :)

Anyway....of we went to the Berlin Wall Memorial - a must see for our group.  Here we were able to see one of the deadliest areas where so many people tried to pass across and failed.  Big parts of the wall were still up for the memorial and they had the memorial situated so that you could get a perspective for how that area looked when the wall was functional and in place.  There was a memorial for those who tried to cross and failed - it was heartbreaking to see old, young and even children that died trying to cross to the other side.  It really gives you perspective about a lot of the wall conversations happening today in our own country!  After taking in the memorial we had lunch at a small café right outside of the memorial. 

From there we would make our way to Museum Island.  Fun fact....2 of the 4 museums on the island (called an island because it is between two rivers) are closed on Monday...the day we were there.  Now...we found this out AFTER buying those damn Berlin Welcome Cards so we were scared to tell the guys because that was part of our justification for them being worth it.  We hadn't told the guys this just yet :).  When we got there we were super thankful there were still some museums open....we made our way to the line for the Pergamon Museum - lots of amazing artifacts from the middle east especially the reconstructed Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. 

After the Museum we walked down by the Berlin Cathedral and did pass backs on Anne and JD's Welcome Cards (yep....we learned something in college) to go in and look around.  During our wait we enjoyed some sunshine out in the park while a street band played, ate ice cream and relaxed.  It was pretty much perfect! 

After all of these destinations there was only one thing to do....grab a table by the river, have some beers and take in all the people watching reminiscing on our day!  It was an absolutely beautiful evening and the perfect cap to our tourist destinations.  After a couple beers we headed back towards the hotel - on the way we passed a place that had a used book sale.  I had heard about this place so I was glad we stumbled upon it!  Bryce found a book on St. Louis written in English but by a German author!  Cool find! 

Moving towards our hotel we freshened up quickly and headed to the concierge for help with dinner reservations.  We were in the mood for sushi!  He recommended a great local favorite so we hopped in a taxi and made our way there.  The sushi was VERY good and we were really enjoying ourselves.....until I was almost robbed.  Well....that sounds a little dramatic.  We were sitting at a bench style table with someone sitting with their back to mine.  I kept feeling him rustling around and did feel like my purse kept getting bumped.  I went all Midwest nice and gave him the benefit of the doubt - we must just be sitting too close!  Well...a VERY nice waitress saw what he was doing (trying to rummage through my purse) and came to stand in between us - she asked me to quickly make sure I wasn't missing anything while they chased the guy off.  Unfortunately this kind of thing happens a lot in the city - just because we weren't in a touristy destination doesn't mean we shouldn't have been on guard!  Lesson learned!  Luckily he didn't get anything, we had more sushi and another drink and saved the night!  On the way back home we stopped in an honest to god Salsa Bar where they were all dancing the Salsa - it looked straight out of Dirty Dancing!  We didn't stay....but it was a cool find!

Like most nights we closed our night with a few bourbons at the hotel bar.  This particular night JD thought he ordered Johnny Blue....but it wasn't. We all got a good laugh out of that.  Tomorrow we would be heading south for Munich!  Car.  Day!!

Deutschland! East Berlin/West Berlin....wait, what side are we on?

Day 6 - Travel day to Berlin

Our plane was set to leave from Stavenger at 10am.  Everything went great and we saw yet another perfectly clean airport in Norway - I swear this entire country was pristine!!  We had another layover in Amsterdam - we would be in that airport twice on this trip - and finally arrived around 2:30 ish in Berlin.  Our first stop was to pick up our car (this would probably be the first logistical mistake in Germany....stay tuned). 

Now....renting a car - seems like a fairly straight forward part of the planning process right?  Well...this was a VERY important step for the boys that included lots of research and decision making.  One word....Autobahn.  Next words....no speed limit.  Apparently this means that you need to get the MOST badass car possible for 4 people, 4 roller suitcases and 4 book bags.  So after much research the boys landed on a Mercedes S Class...230.  Now.  I know NOTHING about Mercedes but DAMN....S Class?  This was the nicest 4 door car I've been in.  The car basically drove itself but it also spoke German when we were introduced so that was the first order of business.  30 min later and a quick tutorial from the technician and she was speaking English :)  Anne and I had some sweet captains chairs in the back that were pure luxury.  The boys got to work on getting us to our hotel - in the middle of Berlin.  The trip was actually pretty straightforward and we were there before we knew it.  Right next to the same kind of rental car company - bahahaha!  So after we drove it into the city and paid to park for 2 nights we could have picked a car up right by our hotel - O well....you live you learn. 

Moving on, we were staying at the Hotel Adlon which is a historic hotel right next to the Brandenburg Gate!  Check that off the list!  Very cool area with lots of tourists and people watching :)  As we checked into the hotel it was clear this would be the most luxurious of all our hotels.  With the closet, WC, Bathroom, it was like a 4 room suite!  We would do our best to fit in drinking fancy bourbon at the bar. 

We headed out to check out some sights after getting to the hotel around 4pm.  We walked past the Holocaust Memorial which were a bunch of rectangle cement structures that represented all that died during that horrible time. 

From there we caught a cab to the Monkey Bar!  This was a bar on the top floor of a hotel right next to the Berlin Zoo - a very hip place to have a drink!  360 degrees view of the city and you can look down on the monkey cages!  Even at 5pm it was crazy busy.  We had a few great drinks and a snack just to ease everyone's anxiety of being in a new place we had to get the hang of.  From there we ate outside along the street at a restaurant called Brauhaus and had our first German dinner.  We had a great waiter who spoke 4 languages and entertained us while we were there.  On the way back we saw the Wilhelm - a bombed out church that the city left as was after war to show the devastation that the city saw.  You can still see places where buildings were hit with shrapnel all over the city but for the most part everything is built up like you would never know.  This church though represented what it was like just after the war - pretty cool to see. 

On our way home we bought Berlin Welcome Cards at the Subway station that would get us into museums and give us our transportation tickets.  The boys were not bought in but Anne and I were CERTAIN these were the best way to go.  We were bound and determined to make it worth our money....stay tuned for more on that tomorrow. 

Back to the hotel and a few before bed drinks would close out our first night in Berlin! 

Stevanger and the EPIC Pulpit Rock Hike!

There are several days on our trip that are lovingly referred to as travel days....lots of modes of transportation, not a lot of action outside of said modes of transportation.  Lucky for us Norway provides some pretty incredible views to help pass the time on our 5+ hour trip to Stavenger! 

We started our day with breakfast at our hotel in Bergen.  We also had just a little bit of time to walk the wharf and do a little shopping once the shops opened at 9am.  We found a cool Christmas shop where I found some Christmas ornaments and tiny Christmas music boxes for the kids.  We made our way to the bus station and boarded the bus at 10am.  We would be on this bus for quite a while.  About 30 min in I quickly realized that I would either need a Dramamine or Sleep to make it through this bus ride without getting sick.  I chose to do both :)

Despite my haze, we were able to take in some pretty breathtaking views between Bergen and Stevanger.  We even got to be on 2 separate ferrys which really broke up the trip nicely.  There were many underground tunnels as we approached Stevanger - one that even went under the water!  The concept of that pretty much blew our minds - shout out to all you engineers out there that figure that kind of stuff out. 

We arrived in Stevanger and it was POURING - harder rain than we had seen on our trip.  Because we had at least a 10 minute walk to our B&B we decided to catch a cab - the first on our trip.  5 min later and we had arrived at Darby's Inn - a beautiful quaint little B&B in Stevanger that was run by a sweet couple named Paul and Wenche (pronounced VEN-KE.....we discovered this was how she pronounced her name after Anne was talking with Paul and asked how to pronounce her name.  Paul was English so understood the English way to pronounce her name.....he told Anne..."its Ven-ke...not Wench - bahahahaha). 

After getting settled we were ready to see Stevanger.  We made our way down to the Harbor and the action.  We ate dinner at a lovely restaurant recommended by our hosts.  We were all fairly delirious and had trouble deciding where to sit/etc.  I am pretty sure the hostess thought we were crazy stupid Americans.  It got even better when Anne, trying to talk to the local, asked if their salad came with "leaves" - I still laugh about this as I am typing.  It would be a nice little joke for the rest of our trip :)

During our dinner it was raining and pouring outside....lucky for us after we got done eating the SUN CAME OUT!!!  This was a very exciting idea to sit on a patio, by the Harbor enjoying a few cocktails while the sun was out!  Well I think all of Stevanger had the same idea!  There were so many people out, a live band and very lively atmosphere in the Harbor that night!  We had an awesome time at the first bar listening to the live band.  We even saw Anne's brother's doppelganger.  This was the first time we sat outside and didn't need to use bar supplied blankets and heat lamps in Norway!  After we left that bar we were walking back towards our B&B (actually like 2 doors down from the first bar) when we heard Shaggy being played at a bar.....it drew us in and we couldn't say no.  This was a great place that played all American music and we were all feeling good. 

Luckily for Bryce, JD and I we had Anne (ie the voice of reason) to tell us it would be a REALLY good thing to get a good night's sleep because the next day was PULPIT rock!  We needed to be on our best behavior.....so she drug us out of there not quite kicking and screaming.  We would thank her the next day :) Time to rest up for one of the biggest days on our trip!!! 

PULPIT ROCK HIKE DAY!!!!

As we were researched and preparing for this trip, Pulpit Rock was clearly the frontrunner for the highlight of the whole trip and man.....we were right.  This day goes down as one of (if not THE) craziest thing I have ever done.  I have not had an adrenaline rush like this ever in my life.  It was hard (so hard), amazing, terrifying and unbelievable all at the same time. 

We started our day by taking the 9:45am ferry (Anne would have preferred the 8:15 but we convinced her otherwise - see above :)).  After a ~45 min ferry ride we hopped on a bus for another 30 min drive up to the start of the hike.  We were able to start our hike up around 11am.  Preikstolen = Pulpit Rock in the local language.

This would be an 8 mile hike- 4 up and 4 back.  Now.....everything we read said that this hike was good for ALL age types and good for beginners.  SO....we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.  5 min in the boys were starting to worry the whole hike would be up a gravel trail.....HA! 15 min and after our first climb I was dying and beginning to get worried about how far my legs would make it!  These were steep trails we were climbing!  Now...when we were kayaking the girls on our tour had already hiked pulpit - they said it was good but SO CROWDED.  It was definitely crowded - with all kinds of people in all kinds of athletic shape.  I couldn't believe the ages/athletic ability of some people attempting this climb!

Now the whole climb wasn't as bad as that first climb.....but it wasn't far off!!  There is no way we would designate this as beginner OR for all ages!  I'm still amazed at the people carrying toddlers on their backs or baby's in slings up this thing....really impressive!  It took everything I had to carry my own body up there!  OK so the hike up took around 2 hours - we really didn't stop much.  Only a couple quick stops for pictures/light exploring at some of the more expansive parts of the hike - most of the way was pretty narrow climbs with LOTS of people....just not good places to stop! 

Finally, we were there.  And the words that I am going to type will NOT do this justice.  the scenery was unbelievable.  Now, Bryce and I have seen some pretty beautiful scenery in our travels - in fact every year we go to one of the most beautiful places in the world in my opinion - Breckenridge, CO.  BUT what made this that much more impressionable was the fact that we were seeing this while ~1-2 feet away from an open cliff that would carry us to our death....no guard rails, NOTHING.  OH.....and with LOTS of people all around you.  I still get an adrenaline rush just by looking at those pictures.  Finally we were AT the Pulpit.  And there were tons of people out on that thing.  We had joked up until this point that we would be crawling to the edge on our bellies....you know what we did???  Crawled to the edge on our bellies.  To say the edge of that rock was terrifying does not even describe it - the biggest adrenaline rush of my life.  And what was happening around us??  A guy dangling his feet (one of many) over the edge eating a can of corn, people standing at the point of the rock, jumping in the air and taking a picture (sorry Bryce for telling you someone was jumping without clarifying it was for a picture and not a suicide), TODDLERS running around on leashes (just let that sink in), babies hanging out in backpacks and slings, people just having the time of their lives.  Now.....we LOVED every minute of this experience - but to say we were comfortable up there would be an outright lie.  We took some pics after climbing to the edge on our bellies and then GOT.  THE.  HECK. TO.  SAFETY. 

We found a place to climb up a little ways that would be a good place for lunch and view of all the crazies out on this hike with us.  It was awe inspiring to see older folks, kids, parents and all types that took this trek up the mountain to see Pulpit Rock.  After about an hour total on top we started our way back down.  Just because we were going down didn't make it easy....every step was a possibility for a twisted ankle so care had to be taken.  My legs were total jello.  Luckily 1.5 hours later we made it down safely, exhausted and ready for a break.  This trip would give me one of the biggest surprises about my spouse....he DOES NOT care for situations with cliffs that drop off and lots of people around to worry about.  After nearly 15 years with a person you don't get many chances to learn something new about a person - but I learned something on this day :)

That night wee had dinner at a place called Villa 22 along the harbor - had some pizzas and beers.  We moved along to some drinks at a bar called Social Bar. After being there about 30 min two local gals sitting next to us struck up a conversation.  This would be the first time (but not the last) on our trip that we were asked "Did you vote for Trump" which was an interesting conversation.  One gal was Norweigen but grew up in Canada and the other was local but was born in England.  It's always interesting to get a foreigner's perspective on our political situation....needless to say we didn't all align eye to eye but you rarely do even in our country.  It was a nice conversation and we really enjoyed meeting some new people!  It was at this point of the trip we decided that I needed a shirt...."I voted for Trump and I work for Monsanto".....I'm sure people would love me that much more :)

Back to the hotel- we had another travel day ahead of us!  Our trip part 1 to Norway would be complete and it absolutely did not disappoint.  This country is breathtaking and if you love the outdoors you need to experience it first hand - hiking, kayaking, the whole thing.  There are lots of cruises that go in and out and around Norway - we saw those ships everywhere.  If you are adventurous enough though - I would HIGHLY recommend getting into the country and doing all of these activities.  Bucket list worthy FOR SURE and we didn't even see 25% of it.  We talked and really wouldn't have changed hardly anything on our trip so far - except maybe for packing some warmer clothes that were water proof :) This country is gorgeous and impeccably well maintained.  The people take HUGE pride in their country and it is one of the cleanest I've ever seen - everything about it is clean and well maintained - and in the summer there are flowers EVERYWHERE!!  Highly recommend! 

On to Deutschland!!! 

Trolls, Luggage and F-Jords

Flam

After our time in Oslo, we woke up early had dropped our luggage off with a porter service to take our luggage to Bergen. We would be without it for a couple days.  We felt pretty good about the service since he showed up right on time....we will revisit that later!


In order to make our way across Norway we scheduled tickets through Norway in a nutshell.  This is a set of tickets on trains, busses and boats to make your way across the country.  We started with a train out of Oslo to Mydard.  We switched trains in Mydard and boarded the Flambana. This train ride to Flam is known as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. It certainly didn't disappoint!  We saw many waterfalls and gorgeous scenery. At one point we were able to get out briefly to take pictures next to a huge waterfall!  During this stop we were first introduced to the "houdres". Beautiful women singing on a mountaintop in Norway?? Interesting....we would learn more about this later.  It was a nice little show they put on during our stop!  Upon arriving in Flam we were absolutely floored by the beauty. Flam is at the end of one of the deepest Fjords in the world. They said if you turn the mountaintop over its still not as deep as the water is!  Over 4000 ft deep!  There is a sunken ship in the fjord from WW2 when a cargo ship was seeking refuge in the town. The townspeople sunk the ship so that it wouldn't cause the Germans a reason to come to Flam.

Before Dinner, on a whim we decided to rent these very small electric cars.  Only room for one person in front and one in back.  We drove them up the mountain to a lookout point.  What a fun excursion!  Our hotel was right at the back end of the Fjord and it was called Heimly Pensjonat. One of the more rustic places we stayed but it was very quaint and perfect.  Off the beaten path a bit and away from the cruise ships that visit Flam most days. Dinner was even included along with Breakfast!  I had the best salmon of the trip at that meal!  We concluded our day at the Marina bar just a few steps from our hotel.  Anne was still hungry so we had beef nachos and a few drinks to close out our day :)

The next day we were particularly excited for!  Kayak trip!  We walked down just past the cruise boat stop and found our guides Valerie and Erika.  They went over the gear (wet suits, rain coats, other waterproof gear) and then we got a quick lesson in kayaking.  This was Bryce and I's first time so lessons were important!  It was two people per kayak. As we took off we quickly realized why our guides called them divorce boats :). Luckily we pulled it together and got it figured out!  The Woolard's even made it out ok despite their constant zig zagging boat path!  We had lots of laughs and heard many fun facts and legends about the area. Halfway through the trip we got out of the boats and did a short hike up to see a waterfall for lunch. It was the perfect place to stop for a snack. The stories we heard were more about the Houdre legend, the Troll's nose, summer farm and the sunken cargo ship just outside of Flam!  So many great stories!

Sadly after our kayaking trip it was time to continue our trek across Norway so we boarded a sightseeing cruise in Flam and continued on our Norway in a nutshell tour. The first leg was a cruise through the fjords to a town called Gevundgen. This cruise showed us some of the most beautiful waterfalls and scenery in the world.  Waterfall after waterfall, cliff after cliff, we couldn't get enough!!  In Gevundgen we quickly boarded a bus and drove to Voss. On that buss ride we took some pretty crazy roads, one of which took us down a cliff through 13 hairpin turns. Once in Voss we took a quick peek at an old church in town and then we boarded a train into Bergen.  We finally arrived in Bergen around 9pm. 6 hour trip!  Praying our bags had made it we made our way to our hotel. After checking in we all had minor heart attacks for about 30 minutes while we were getting settled because they couldn't find Bryce's bag!  Thankfully after a stressful hot minute they found it at a hotel down the Street!  We quickly retrieved it and all agreed the trip was saved.

Even though we only had a couple hours in Bergen we made the best of it. We visited a lookout point on the Clarion hotel, got a fresh seafood dinner in the wharf, visited a country western bar and listened to Garth Brooks, and found a hot dog and kebab stand for a late night snack!  Whew!  What a day!

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Planes, Tranes and Viking Ships - Norway Part 1

We started our journey on July 9, Bryce's 35th birthday. It would be his shortest birthday ever!  We left St Louis at 9:45am after my dad took us to the airport (my mom was up first to watch the kids!). Once in Chicago we met up with the Woolard's and had layovers until our flight left for Amsterdam around 4pm. We were invited on this trip by Anne and JD as it was his sabbatical from Epic.....otherwise known as the best work benefit ever!  Our flights were covered by his company and we got a daily stipend to cover mostly our hotel costs.  Incredible.  We feel so lucky that they wanted us on this adventure with them!  The flight was very smooth and outside of a mysterious wet spot on Bryces seat we had no problems!  He was able to sit in an empty seat next to him :).  We arrived in Amsterdam around 6am local time to layover for a flight to Oslo at 9:20 am. While waiting at the airport I took a nap and Anne did the Ab challenge!  We got some breakfast and waited for our flight!

Oslo (2 Nights)

We stayed at the Hotel Christiana Theatre. This was an awesome hotel right in the middle of a very popular area of Oslo with a beautiful park right across the street and off Karl Johans Gate area.  After arriving we explored the area a bit, saw the Palace, City Hall and Oslo Cathedral.  We also saw the Harbor and Parliament, all within walking distance.  After a quick nap (JDs idea of course) we went to dinner in the Harbor at a restaurant called Lofoten.  We had an awesome seafood meal to start off our time in Norway. The Strawberry pie was amazing!  Ending with a nightcap (first of many on this trip) ended our first day. We quickly realized Norway would be quite a bit cooler than any of us realized!  We also needed ponchos and an umbrella for the first few days!  Unfortunately several had sleep issues our first night in...it would be a couple days before we were all fully adjusted!

The next day we had a packed agenda!!  Goal: see as much of Oslo as possible!! We had breakfast at the hotel which consisted of lots of cured meats, cheeses and a really cool nutty bread!  We started by riding the ferry to Museum Island after buying the Oslo pass in the Harbor.  The first museum we visited was the Viking Museum.  Here we saw 3 reconstructed Viking ships that were discovered from archeological digs in Norway along with the artifacts that were found with them.  We learned a ton about the Vikings and it's always so amazing to see things from so long ago!  From here we moved onto the outdoor folk Museum.  This was a really cool outdoor Museum where we saw many reconstructed buildings from hundreds of years ago.  We saw one of the oldest reconstructed log cabins in the world!  It was time for lunch so we got a really fancy sausage dog from a food truck in the Harbor called the Sausage Factory. It was amazing. A quick bus ride and we were up at the Fortress looking over the Oslo Harbor.  This place had some really interesting modern history as the Germans invaded Norway during world war 2.

After the fortress we desperately needed a nap so we took a bit of a break back at the hotel.  Anne and JD were working off only a couple hours of sleep.  After naps we took off to find a cool lookout over Oslo. We had to take a train and got off by Olympic park and the ski jump.  We were looking and looking for a sculpture park that supposedly had the best view.  We never found it but we did find our way to the ski simulator and got to climb down the ski jump stands. It was crazy high!  We headed back to town and ate at The Scottsman for dinner. JD declared this was Bryces birthday celebration so he got to decide where to go from there. We hit up Magic Ice Bar and drank in a bar made totally of ice!  After some memorable Mango vodka shots we went back close to our hotel for a night cap before bed. This as a tough night of sleep for me....I was wide awake until around 3am. We had an early start so I still had some adjusting to do for the time change!

The next day we would continue our adventures in Flam!!!


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38 Weeks! Wait....38 Weeks?!?!

Where has the time gone??  It honestly feels like yesterday that this point in the pregnancy seemed so very far off and I can honestly say reality had NOT set in.  Well reality today is little Baby B could make his debut any day now and just like that...we will be parents!  That. Is. Crazy.  So where are we at...is everything ready? Are we ready? When do we think he is going to be here? How are we spending our last few weeks as DINK's?  I am more than happy to let you know!

As you saw a couple months back, we enjoyed a completely fantastic vacation with our very good friends the Woolards at the end of September.  Since then its been a whirlwind to say the least!  We had one free weekend and then it was time for Baby Showers, Baby Showers and more Baby Showers!  Oh...and add in some Red October that you know we can't not participate in and that makes for one busy October!!  Here are the highlights!

First up was the baby shower thrown by my VERY good friends Melissa and Brandy here in St. Louis.  Another very good friend Catherine was gracious enough to host us at her house in Chesterfield.  This shower would be a gathering of my best girlfriends I have met while in the real world at Monsanto along with my fabulous neighbors that we love dearly.  The theme was vintage baseball and the creativity and attention to detail that my friends put into the shower was incredible.  We dined on baseball staples - a nacho bar, mini hot dogs, popcorn and cracker jacks!  The ladies decorated burp clothes (that I can't WAIT to see in action) and we had such a great time catching up with everyone.  It was a very special day (my first shower) and I truly enjoyed every minute :)

The very next day Bryce and I had our maternity pictures taken - we worked with Amee at Heavens Belongings and had such a wonderful experience.  We hadn't had pictures taken of us since our wedding so it was nice to have a family shot with just Bryce, me and Russell! 

Just a few days later, my team at work was nice enough to host a shower for me at work.  It was a great chance to get away from work for a minute and talk with everyone about the big changes that were coming in our lives - I am so lucky to work with such wonderful people! 

We aren't stopping yet!!!  Next up was 2 days later..the big show - the hometown shower!  Hosted by my Mom, Tara and Rachel I knew it would be nothing short of fabulous!  The shower was held at Bogey's café in Springfield and the theme was "Baby It's Cold Outside".  SUCH a cute theme with a winter wonderland of pine trees, blue snowflakes, glitter and an amazing lunch by the café!  The girls really out-did themselves! We had diaper decorating which will go great with our decorated burp cloths and a really fun game that was really memorable for me.  The girls had a list of questions that they asked Bryce...everyone (including me!) had to guess his answers.  Bryce and I talk a lot about the baby and life with kids but it was really cool to hear his perspective on things.  My favorite question and answer..."What are you looking to most about fatherhood" - His answer: Being a kid again myself.  He is going to be an amazing dad :) The shower was a great time and I even got some time with my favorite little ones (and Bingo's first friends) Weston, Ellie and Parker.  I still can't get over the generosity of everyone who attended and gave us such thoughtful gifts!  It was an awesome mix of people - my very best girlfriends who have been there for me for so long, my mom, aunts, cousins, my mother in law and more of Bryce's extended family, sister in law, beautiful niece (who I can tell is SO EXCITED for this baby to come) former teachers, and our very good friends of the family.  What a memorable day!!  I wish it could of lasted longer!!

While all of these showers were going on the Cardinals were obviously marching their way through the NLDS, NLCS and of course the World Series!!  Bryce and I weren't going to let a little thing like pregnancy get in the way of watching our Cardinals!  We were lucky to attend games at Busch for the NLDS (we saw them clinch against the Pirates in Game 5), the Dodgers in the NLCS and Game 5 of the World Series against the Red Sox.  Unfortunately the season didn't end with a W but we enjoyed so much of this season and it was a memorable one for us!  We can't wait to take Bingo to his first game early next season! 

Most of the weeks since our showers have been spent putting the final touches on the nursery and getting the house ready for baby!  Having such a small house we have to be extra organized and de-cluttered as much as possible!  There have been lots of Goodwill trips and we have organized closets, the office and the kitchen as best we can!  We even managed to squeeze in a new furniture purchase for our upstairs living room - no broken couch for Bingo's visitors!!  The nursery has come together perfectly!  Vintage Cardinals Baseball!  I absolutely love it.  The clothes, sheets and blankets are washed, toys put away and diapers ready to go.  All we need is a baby!  Swings and bouncers are put together - if nothing else this kid will have lots of entertainment options! 

The last few weeks have been really nice.  Work is tapering off and we have had a lot of downtime on the weekends.  There is always one more project to get completed or one more thing to put together but I am already able to say "what will be done will be done" and know that there will always be more projects and things to finish...for now we take every day as it comes and are enjoying our downtime!  Just this weekend we had a special visit from my good friend Emily and her boyfriend Corrie.  We got to spend a lot of time downtown with them Saturday and even made it to the Rams/Bears game today!  I mean...38 weeks/2 days seems like the BEST time to take in an NFL game!  It went great and I didn't go into labor while at the game - always a good thing :) 

Less than two weeks until our due date and we are fully aware that our little man could come at any moment in time.  I feel like he will come closer to his due date but you never know!  We have both our families coming for Thanksgiving to our house (yes you read that right).  I am doing VERY little cooking - we just wanted to be sure everyone was able to be together for the holiday - that was very important to us!  Then on Friday the Rockets will play for their 4th state football title in a row.  If I have one goal...it is to NOT have the baby on Friday!  So very proud of the Rockets - an amazing accomplishment!  Hopefully we can put up our Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving but its OK if that doesn't happen!  They WILL be put up though!! 

Tomorrow and Tuesday are my LAST two days at work until early March - now THAT is a crazy thought!  I am really looking forward to my time off and feel so fortunate to be able to take off the full 3 months.  Bryce will even be off with me for the first 3 weeks - which makes me so very happy!  I continue to be glued to his side at all times...pregnancy hormones do some funny things :)  Speaking of Bryce..just this past Wednesday Bryce's coworkers hosted a surprise shower for him at work.  They were nice enough to reach out and invite me to attend - I loved meeting his team and coworkers!  He was truly surprised and it was so cute seeing him do the opening of the presents - was a really nice time! (That is 4 showers if you are keeping track). 

As far as Bingo goes (yes he will have a name...eventually) he is as active as EVER.  Moving like crazy and doing some pretty incredible gymnastics in a very tight space.  I still laugh at my growing belly - it really is the only reaction I have to it.  Things have gotten a little more uncomfortable (especially at his most active times) but I really haven't had any contractions and I am lucky enough to be getting good sleep.  This pregnancy has been so wonderful an easy (yes I know I am lucky) and I have loved every minute - can already tell I may even miss it a little when its over!  Hopefully we can experience it all again soon! 

We can't wait to meet this little guy - he is truly going to change our lives in so many ways and I can't wait for the good the bad and the ugly! 

Until next time....when we are PARENTS!!

Our very best....here is the latest bump pic at 37 weeks!

29 Weeks and Counting! Perfect Time for a Vacation Right?!?

 29 Weeks and Counting!!  Perfect Time for a Vacation Right?!?!

I mean, who wouldn't want to spend a week on a remote island while 29 weeks pregnant?!  We are on the best baby moon with the most wonderful friends and this week couldn't be better!!  After putting off scheduling a real vacation for over a year while we were trying to get pregnant we finally decided we were doing this no matter what!  It didn't take long to convince the Woolards, our partners in crime for the past 10 years to come with us, to stay in a beautiful villa overlooking the carribean.  Bryce found this amazing house to rent on vacation homes for rent by owner.com and the planning was done!  True we thought we would be pregnant but not 29 weeks along! The first question for our doctor after seeing that little heart flicker was of course....can we still go on our vacation?  So here we are in paradise and it couldn't be more perfect!  Here is the recap so far...

Day 1....a trip to Kmart in paradise??

Our day started bright and early at 3:45 and at 6 am we were on our first leg towards Atlanta. We were on the flight from ATL to STT with the Woolards which was awesome. So great to see them so soon!  The flights all went great and I felt comfortable the whole way down. So far so good!  We arrived in St Thomas and got our bags and the last bit of travel anxiety floated right away. We picked up our rental car... ford Fusion, definitely not as cool as El Lancia!  That's ok...on our way following our host for the week Linda. So here in the US VI the driver sits on the left side on the car like normal but you drive on the left side of the road!  Weird....regardless Bryce is up for the challenge!  Crazy trip up the mountain side and we arrived at our villa...we all looked at each other hoping someone would remember how the hell to get back to civilization!  Challenge for later.... We were in awe of this property!  Literally words can't describe the beauty of this place...only pictures can do it justice.

The owners are an interesting pair. Obviously very well traveled judging by the vast number of travel books and treasures from around the world. Some of the more interesting things... An old newspaper article from Baltimore from 2 days after the Titanic sunk (the article reported everyone was safe and the boat was being towed to shore), lots of rare butterflies and insects on display, so many coffee table books - the history of lingerie and the complete works of Earnest Hemingway oh and dint forget the Kill Bill DVd.

After settling into our rooms it was time for the part of this trip i was dreading..grocery shopping. We made our way into town and had a lovely walk through Kmart and the adjoining mall in search of some shorts for Anne. All I will say is that when our host told us what places to stay away from this was definitely one of them. We simply didn't belong. We we're all terrified enough to skip the grocery store down the strip mall and head to the Cost U Less (Sam's) which felt much more safe but resulted in some ridiculous purchases including the value pack of ketchup, mustard and relish. It would take us months to work through it all. There was a moment I was nearly in tears over peanut butter but we made it out alive and had a relatively painless trip back up the mountain... Way to go team!

After an easy dinner of brats we enjoyed our amazing deck and went to sleep excited about the week ahead of us...seriously amazing!

Day 2....Is this seriously our reality for the week??

We woke up and started on of our traditions for the week... An awesome home cooked breakfast!  Way to go boys!  This also serves as our planning session for each day. This day would be spent enjoying our deck, view and private pool overlooking the ocean until noon and then off to Magens Bay for the afternoon. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Truly amazing and felt so local and low key. Not commercial in any way. We enjoyed a very nice dinner at the Old Stone Farmhouse. Minus the boy's salty duck and weird ostrich sausage it was a hit!  We got to visit the kitchen to look at cuts of meat which were available and the waiter suggested a "reasonably priced" bottle of wine which was only $160....ha!  Yeah right....

Overall a phenomenal night and we even got to watch the Cardinals game on ESPN when we got back!  An amazing day of course and I couldn't feel better... All of the swimming really takes the pressure off my back and I simply feel fantastic!

Day 3...Charlotte Amalie exploration

After our amazing breakfast we planned our day to include another relaxing morning enjoying our deck...seriously can't get enough and would follow that up with a trip into town to do some exploring. We decided to visit the local convenience store and got some milkshakes at the Udder Delight just down the road on the way back. I found a small jar of peanut butter and was the happiest pregnant girl in the world. we started our journey into town around 2pm and found the cruise ship dock. We enjoyed some snacks and drinks at the Fat Turtle but shopping was a little light since we are in the slow season..no complaints here!  From there we made our way towards Frenchtown in search of dinner. We really only had a basic map and our college educated brains to go off of. After a few questionable places to turn around we found a local pizza place that was recommended to us by our waiter the night before. Awesome pizza and a really impressive beer list made this an excellent choice!  Bryce, Anne and I took a short walk in search of some good pictures of the harbor ....another interesting journey in which we were happy there were three of us together (James was enjoying his beer in the safety of the restaurant). Overall Pi Whole was a hit for everyone!  A bit more culture was experienced in Charlotte Amalie but all part of our adventure!  On the drive back JD took his turn at driving and Bryce navigating. Let's just say we will go back to our previous arrangement of JD navigating and Bryce driving :). But hey....we are still here to enjoy another day!

Day 4......."Bryce Bryce Bryce..... What day is it??  Boat Day!!! Woo woo!!!!"

The hump day commercial has been one of constant entertainment for us...it didn't stop on boat day... Woo woo!!  This is what this trip has been planned around for Bryce. We chartered a boat for the 4 of us with Captain Wilson (ie Captain Ron). I set out prepared with snacks, water, tums and an anti nausea medicine prescribed by my doctor. Ready to go!  The boat was awesome... Deja Blue. Off we went to our first destination..snorkeling along a small rocky island protected as a bird sanctuary. We get out after a few safety precautions (Capt Wilson is totally freaked out that I'm pregnant but I still feel great!) and off we went!  Basically we floated easily in the salt water and let the current float us along the island. We did this for about 45 min and it was such a peaceful experience. Bryce was in heaven. Back on the boat we took off towards a deserted beach on an uninhabited island. Literally... Just us on this beautiful beach. The water here is an incredible color of blue and turquoise. I've never seen anything like it. Bryce and JD took off in search of Pirate Booty. They searched the squatters campground who weren't there at the time and found a bunch of hermit crabs.... Real ones :). Our next stop might be my favorite.... The smallest beach on St John called the Mermaids Chair. You can only reach it by boat or by swimming to it... We enjoyed swimming and more snorkeling nearby. Such an amazing place. We spent an extra two hours on our trip than planned touring the beaches of St John and learning some history which JD thoroughly enjoyed. The history really is incredible... Changing from Danish to French to British and American along with slave trade and revolts... Lots to learn and appreciate!  We were also lucky enough to see Kenny Chesney's two houses (one he used to own and own he owns now). We took some stalker pics for all you Kenny fans!! This last part of our trip was great in preparation for our trip tomorrow to St John. After returning to the harbor we enjoyed a few drinks at a local bar in Red Hook (everyone seemed to be local around us) which was a great way to end our evening. FYI....Bryce and JD are now in fine form. The bullshit continues to flow and they can seriously talk for hours on end about absolutely nothing and it's typically very entertaining. Tomorrow will be the longest they've been together since college.... I can only imagine where this will go. We ended our night with a home cooked dinner of steaks and shrimp. Another amazing evening. Oh!  We swam with sea turtles!!  Super cute!

Some observations.....

References to the hump day commercial andCaptain Ron never get old. Ever.

When the moon is shining across the ocean, the light trails a path towards you and that path will follow you wherever you walk. Always. We are pretty sure There is a scientific explanation for this but we are all business majors....

The moon decides when it comes up every night....it's different every night

Literally Bryce and JD live in their own world of constant random comments and bullshit.

It's a really good thing Mandy andAnne get along so well!

We need a business plan which results in a multimillion dollar home in St John....

Kmart and Plaza Extra should be avoided at all costs...especially if you want a reasonable size jar of peanut butter.

Vacations are always best had with good friends!!!

The proper name for a doughnut is a Doh Doh.....

I'll post pics on FB later... Zonked for the night!!!

Day 5.....St John and one perfect beach after another

Once again we started our day with an amazing breakfast on our deck...another beautiful day to explore the islands was ahead of us!  Today we would be exploring St John which is only a 20 min ferry ride away. After our boat tour with Capt Wilson we decided to take the car ferry so we would have some freedom to explore the island. The ferry ride was beautiful and we got a bunch of great pictures. 20 min later we were driving off the ferry into St John.  What a really great little town!  Very clean with great shopping and restaurants. We loved it. We started with lunch on the bay at Joe's Rum Hut and then moved through a few shops where we bought a beautiful necklace which was my 30th birthday present. It's a sterling silver charm with a Larimar stone and a blue topaz stone. Larimar is the gem of the Carribean and stands for Change and Transition... Quite fitting for our baby moon!  Off we went in search of Cinamon Bay. This is the beach Kenny Chesney's first house here overlooked and he mentions it in his song Old Blue Chair. The beach did not disappoint!!  Very few people, pristine blue and turquoise waters and water so clear you could see your feet under the water against the smooth sand. The only downfall.... We had forgotten Bryce's snorkel mask and the rental shop wasn't opened. Note....don't forget Bryce's snorkel mask. Luckily JD was up for an adventure and they took off swimming towards little cinnamon beach which you can't walk towards. That excursion took about 30 min and when they returned it was time to pack up and see the rest of the island (all 9 miles of it). Along our drive we saw an old wind mill which was used long ago on the sugar plantations. I sucked it up and walked up a long rocky path just to see it. I'm still 100% on activities!    We drove around the rest of the island to see where the locals Live. We even saw a cow on the side of the road!  Made it back to the ferry called "Tug Life" and had a nice trip back to Red Hook on St Thomas. We all loved St John....might be a future vacation destination.  Our evening ended with dinner at Fish Tails in Red Hook looking over the bay. I had a Carribean lobster which was great!  We all enjoyed fresh fish and had a really nice meal. The night cap was a relaxing evening on our deck....only one more full day but we couldnt make any plans since plans for the day can't be discussed until morning at breakfast....vacation rule number 1!

Day 6....our last full day of paradise

On our last full day we decided to take it easy in the morning. Book Day!  Lots of reading and relaxing on our deck was just what we needed after a busy couple days. Around noon we headed out in search of the St Thomas Mountaintop for beautiful views atop St Thomas, souvenir shopping and world famous banana daiquiris!  The views and daiquiris did not disappoint!  From there we needed to give Bryce one more chance at snorkeling so off we went in search of lunch and a beach for snorkeling. After a bust at Coki Beach (far too crowded/shady atmosphere) we found Sapphire beach. Here we found far less people and a snorkel rent station for the rest of us!  After an awesome lunch of jerk chicken at a food stand on the beach we were ready to snorkel!  This beach was unlike anything we had seen!  The coral came up so close to the beach and we saw so many beautiful fish and coral formations!  We even saw a stingray!  A little scary but very cool. Thank god Bryce was right next to me or I may have flipped out!  Overall an awesome beach!  From there we went back to the villa for naps and more relaxing on the deck. We decided to do dinner at home and truly enjoy our little slice of paradise for one more night!

In true Woolard/Burke fashion we spent our last night reminiscing the good ole days at WIU and planning for future vacations/excursions.

We had to check out by 11 the next morning and with flights around 2pm it gave us even more time to have a leisurely breakfast and casual morning. We took our time enjoying our amazing home but finally had to bid farewell to the Villa Papillon. If anyone is ever considering a vacation in St Thomas I would highly recommend this home for rent by owner along with Island Wilson Excursions (boat rental). Every part of this vacation was picture perfect and exactly what we needed.

For the Burkes we are headed into a busy month of baby preparation... We are 30 weeks along and in the next 4 weeks alone we will have 3 baby showers,a dr appointment, maternity photo session and labor/delivery class at the hospital. Add in a Cardinal World Series victory and that would be quite the month!  Here's to a great 10 final weeks of pregnancy!!!

All our love,
Mandy and Bryce