Responsibility is key

I have babysat since I was about 13 years old. My mom made my best friend and I go to a babysitting class at the hospital where we learned CPR, how to change a diper, babysitting tips and tricks, etc. Not to brag or anything but I think I'm pretty good with children. My sister tells me all the time she thinks my career will involve children and I'll have a lot of my own one day, and I think she might be right. Over the years I've learned a lot about children such as: whom to let stay up past their bedtime, when to give an extra scoop of ice cream, when a child is lying, when a child is telling the truth, whom to be stern with, whom to let run around the backyard numerous times so they will crash in bed and so much more. 

Responsibility comes in all shapes and sizes. Wether it is regarding school, exercising, eating healthy, being the president of a sorority or taking care of children. In the U.S. it's not difficult to take children to a restaurant to grab some dinner, ride bikes on a trail, get ice cream, take them to the zoo, among many other things. Because while you are over there you just have to be observant and follow the signs and social cues that you have grown up with. Well in Germany it's a little bit of a different story. Taking care of children is easy but it's the not knowing the language or understanding social cues that is the issue. I will use the example of the zoo since I took the girls last weekend. 

First we walked to the bakery to get breakfast, which I've gotten used to now but I had to be observant to understand which way the line went, how to order the food and how to pay. Then we rode a bus to the zoo. Of course I had directions but I'm not sure what the rule is about food on the bus or talking (but basically yelling) children. I just had to be observant and try my best to fit in. After we arrived at the zoo, I wasn't exactly sure which line to go to so I just took my best adult guess and picked one. Luckily I picked the correct one and we got in like a breeze. We walked around the zoo and enjoyed all of the wonderful animals. Our favorites were the giraffes, monkeys and camels. By the way, if you ever go to Munich and have kids, go to the zoo. It is huge and has about any animal you can think of. Around 1pm the girls were hungry for lunch so we picked the Gorilla Cafe and sat down for some sandwiches and shade. I walked in the door that I thought was correct and walked up to the counter to order. Well I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not but I ordered our food with confidence but inside I was scared because I didn't want to make any Germans upset, because like I've said before, Germans are not very nice when they are upset. The man at the counter pointed me towards the register to pay so I did but couldn't find our sandwiches. A third man was making them at another station and the line was getting crowded so people were pushing, the the girls were begging me for an eis so needless to say I was a little overwhelmed. Since we were outside I wasn't sure what to do with our tray when we finished eating. I had to look around and be observant of others to figure out what to do. 

My father has always taught me to be aware of my surroundings, especially at night and when I'm alone but I'm taking that advice to a different context. I HAVE to be aware of what is going on in another country especially since I don't know the language or the traditional customs. Responsibility is important when looking after children and I feel as though my responsibility has doubled since I've been over here and especially when I'm alone with the girls. Luckily they are sweet and listen to me most of the time :) but I'm enjoying this heightened responsibility because it is a wonderful skill I'll take with me to the next phase of my life. 

Responsibility is key along with being aware of your surroundings all of the time. 

Just a few pictures from our zoo trip. And p.s. suckers are ALWAYS a good treat! 

Italia

I've always had an infatuation with Italy especially as I've grown older - well my dream has come true because I am writing this blog on the train coming back from Verona. 

Chad was away on a business trip for a week and Brandon and I thought we should take a trip somewhere for a few days with the girls. We decided on Verona because it is only a 5 hour train ride away from Munich. So this was my first train ride in Europe minus last summer when we traveled 2 hours to this really awesome castle; this was also the girls first train ride. Our train left Munich at 7:30 on Wednesday morning so getting up at 6am wasn't especially fun because I'm NOT a morning person. (But I have had to become one because the girls loveeeee to come into my room at the crack of dawn and play around my bed until I can muster up the energy to get up and watch cartoons with them) So we board the train and have our own little cart but a young man walks in and I warn him, "we have some wild ones, if you want quiet you might want to pick another seat" he laughed and said he would stay. We did introductions and his name was Mark from Canada and studies political science in Paris and is on his way to meeting up with friends in Venice. Our train ride was exciting to say the least. We made all the normal stops and on the boarder of Italy the conductor told us to get off because the train didn't work. Well luckily Brandon and I are go-with-the-flow type of people so we found out when the next train to Verona left, then decided to treat ourselves to a beer. I told Mark to come with us and eat. The hour passed and we boarded our train to Verona for the second time. Well Mark followed us to the cart and despite have 2 crazy, energy-filled kids he wanted to continue to sit with us. Now my dad traveled Europe when he was 19 and I love listening to his stories especially about the random people he met and interacted with - I felt like this was one of those stories I'll tell to my children. We met this random guy on the train who followed us for 7 hours and ended up being so nice and patient with the girls - it just felt very European and I loved it. You always hear about the interesting stories of the random people on trains and I finally had one of my own too. To Mark - thanks for putting up with our wild cart with energetic kids and I hope your trip to Venice is incredible! 

Brandon and the girls getting ready to get on the train to Verona for the second time. 

And here I am trying to get the girls to take a picture with me with the snowy mountains in the back but it turned out to be a selfie!

So we arrive in Verona and of course take the wrong road to the hotel so the 15 minute walk turns into pushing the heavy stroller with both girls and carrying 2 bags of luggage for over a hour until we arrive at the hotel. We put our bags down and decide to explore the city a little bit. We are very close to the areana and walk towards it and let the girls run around. Believe me, they needed it after being in a train car all afternoon. We eat at one of the first reataurants we see which is a total tourist trap, but we didn't care because the girls got balloons and they were instantly happy which made Brandon and I happy. In the center, no cars are allowed which is great for the girls because they can frolic around the streets and sidewalk and we don't have to worry about them. Of course we get a gelato (best ice cream in the whole world) and everybody goes from a 8 to 10 on the happy scale. It's something about gelato that brings everybody together. So Brandon put the girls to bed in the hotel and I hung out in the lobby with our bottle of wine - believe me we needed it - and I got a lot of time to be alone and think and I realized I'm not a huge fan of being alone. Now yes I enjoy my quiet time but I love people way more! So Brandon comes down after the girls are asleep and we sit outside at a table and enjoy our bottle of wine and people watch. The weather was beautiful and the people were entertaining so I couldn't of asked for a better night. There is nothing better than enjoying some yummy Italian wine with nice weather and good company. 

The next morning we woke up early and set off to explore the city. We met a nice gladiator and took some pictures. I think the girls were more curious than anything. 

We explored the areana and told Isabella the story of Romeo & Juliet. She loves boys so we knew she would enjoy this love story. Well, she turned into a littler director and we acted out the story which was a lot of fun.  Sometimes you have to let go and just be a kid again. There was a sight seeing train and we knew the girls would love it so we decided to go on a tour of the city. If you have never been to Italy, you need to go! It is absolutely beautiful with old churches, cobblestone streets, Italian architecture, a landscape to die for and so much more. I was absolutely in heaven touring this city. 

After the tour we wandered through the city and found a piazza with a market and lots of authentic Italian looking restaurants. We ordered wine and different pastas. Let me tell you, this was the most devine lasagna I've ever eaten. It was the perfect lunch, and as the Italians do, we stayed there for around 2 hours. After lunch we walked through the shopping districts and I realized how poor I really am haha but I knew one day I would return with lots of money to spend and a better taste for really good wine. Our next stop was Juliet's balcony. We wandered through the city trying to find it and finally did and I think I was the most excited for this stop on our Italian adventure. Of course it was crowded with couples putting locks on the wall, touching the statue of Juliet and placing gum on the wall but I didn't care. I was here!! The lock wall was incredible with thousands of locks telling the stories of so many couples and their trip to Verona. It was really interesting to think how their trip compared to mine and who they were spending time with. The one thing I really wanted to do was place gum on the wall because I knew my dad and sister had done the same thing a few years ago. I gave the girls some gum and we dedicated it to somebody special in our lives that we love. I loved doing that because I knew thousands of people placed their gum on the same wall and everybody's story was different with each piece of gum meaning something special. 

Before dinner we went back to the hotel for some rest; 2 small children is no joke and is extremely tiring. So we decided to let the girls stay out past their bedtime and go to dinner in hopes they would sleep later the next morning. Dinner was delicious with numerous cheeses and Italian tapas foods. 

The girls started getting to that extreme tired phase where all they could do was run around and laugh. Trying to control them was like trying to control a drunk friend when all they can do is laugh and not listen to anything you are saying. We started walking back to the hotel with the girls on our backs and we all were uncontrollably laughing - it was very funny and was a great way to end the night. The giggles came with challenges putting them to bed but Brandon and I fell asleep soon after. 

This morning we ate breakfast in the hotel and decided to walk around before our train at 11. Of course all of the shops didn't open until 10 but we just enjoyed the city one last time. Verona was absolutely beautiful and Italy was everything I could imagine. The people are beautiful and the Italian way of life is enticing so I know one day I'll be back! As for me right now, I still have 2 more hours on this train, and as my parents would say when I was little "Only 4 Barney's and we will be there!" 

Ciao 

Music makes me smile

If you know anything about me, you know I LOVE music. I mean I love it. If you put on the right song or right playlist, it will instantly change my mood and make me a very happy camper. Well while I've been over here I've discovered this band from Munich. They have only released an EP but it's incredible. So I wanted to share it with everyone. Now you might not like the song or the way the guy sings or plays the guitar, but I love it. When I hear this song I become a completely different person with a big goofy grin on my face and I dance around like nobody is watching. So I really hope you enjoy this song like I do!

Stolen Dance by Milky Chance