Welcome to Hogwarts.....

So this morning I went to meet up with some of my favorite ladies here in Germany, and we decided to walk the castle, have some morning coffee at the Castle Cafe, and then Jackson played in one of the courtyards as the ladies sketched and waterpainted. As Jackson and I were walking back through the castle to head home for nap time, I couldn't help but think this is what Hogwarts must be like.

Those of you who know me good know I am a Harry Potter fanatic, and I am not ashamed to admit it. So as we strolled of course automatically the theme song began playing in my head, and I may have even started humming it a little bit (which I am now doing as I type this.) Now while I realize I will not be learning Defense Against the Dark Arts, playing Quidditch, or getting items to levitate by saying Wingardium Leviosa, I do get to say that I live right down the road from a castle that has many similarities to Hogwarts. Here are some of the main similarities:

-both sit up on a hill overlooking a valley and town: here it is Burghausen there it is Hogsmeade

-both have a lake that sits below it, however I do not believe we have any Mermaids in the Wohrsee, but then again I have not gone swimming there yet.

-both have all sort of passageways, small little doors that you wonder where they may lead to (perhaps the dungeons, and both have a tower ( though I do not think they keep owls in the one here).

-both have train stations

So as I continue to live out this storybook adventure here in Germany all I can say is the muggles are all very nice for the most part, the scenery is amazing, and to the best of my recollection there are no Dementors! I am loving it!!!!

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming.....

Ok, yes so I know this posting is long overdue, and I promise from here on out I am going to do a much better job of posting on a regular basis. I have been swimming and swimming through this great big ocean of Germany, and this is the first time I have finally gotten a chance to take a breather. So to sum up what all you have missed in the Hardin Haus since my last posting I will focus on the highlights....

-Ich lerne Deutsch or for you English speakers/readers I am learning German. This is part of the reason for my lapse in writing, as I now have 1:1 German lessons twice a week and she comes during Jackson's nap time (aka my blog writing time). I am loving this and it is so helpful. Though I have to say I am so glad I had been using the Rosetta Stone before I started these lessons. I highly recommend the Rosetta Stone, and as my German teacher said, Wow that really works. You know a lot of German already. Yeah me!!!! My goal is to be close to fluent when we leave.

-So no matter what country you live in or what language you speak, I guarantee Jackson will want to be your friend. Everywhere we go he makes new friends, well at least I am assuming they are friendly as most of the time I really have no idea what they are telling my son. He continues to rake in the freebies and smooze the waitstaff to bring him toys to play with or allow him to wander around their restaurant. He is now starting to say hello and goodbye in German, but we have not quite mastered it yet.

-So much to see, in so little time. There really is so much to do and see here. From the vacation destinations to the little town 10 minutes down the road that you never even knew was there. Around every corner it seems lies another hidden treasure. We are staying busy by trying to do as much as we can while we are here, because we have already realized that our time here is going to fly by and we will be returning back to the United States before we know it!

-German Movie Theaters SOOOOO NOT the same as going to the American movie theater, except for maybe the fact that they both show movies. First of all, here in Germany you get an assigned seat in the theater..boo to that! Second, they show like one preview then 7 commercials, and then another preview followed by seven more commercials, with 5 of the 14 commercials being merely for cigarettes! Finally the Worst thing about German movie theaters is the popcorn. None of that delicious golden, buttery stuff we have all comed to love back home. No, you get a pre made bag or what taste like bad microwave popcorn that has been sitting their on their shelf all day. Yuck! However, I will say if you like gummy bears they have a huge assortment of gummy products to buy!

Well, I here little man waking up so that is my cue to wrap things up. Keep a look out for my next posting as I continue to keep swimming....

The Land of the Free

So I know most of you from back home are probably thinking "oh the land of the free, that is the United States." However, for Jackson the land of the free is definitely Germany. It seems like everytime we go somewhere they are here little boy have this ( and no not in a creepy would you like some candy little boy kind of way.) So I have decided I am going to keep track of all the things he gets for free while he is here and at the end I will total the estimated value. I will update this post as he receives gifts.


FREE STUFF FOR JACKSON
-donut from bakery
-cheese pretzel from bakery
-cloth bag from grocery store
-matchbox car from grocery store
-chocolate bar from Italian restaurant

Gnomes, Elves, and Fairy tales....

So living over here is Germany, I have found myself saying that it feels like I am in a fairy tale. You have these big castles, medieval looking architecture on some buildings, and what look like gingerbread houses right out of Hansel and Gretel.

The one thing I can not figure out though is why inside everything is so close to the ground.....washing machine, dishwasher, beds, couches, toilets. You name it and it is probably only about 3-4 inches off the ground if it does not sit directly on it. It is not like there are a whole bunch of really short people running  around Germany. In fact, a lot of people here are pretty tall. So why the shortness ask the 6 foot tall woman?

Here is my theory: I am convinced that there are little gnomes in leiderhosen who come in during the night and do laundry and clean, and then when you leave the house during the day they make the beds and clean under the furniture. My only question now is where do I sign up for them and/or how long do you have to live in Germany before they start working? Is it a union thing or just independent contractors....who knows. So for now I guess I will just have to keep waiting and doing the cleaning myself.

Honeymoon is Over.....

So they told us when we got here that we would have a honeymoon period where everything seemed great and everything you did was so exciting, but then it would end at some point. It was only a matter of when. I originally thought nahhhhh that is not ever going to happen to me while I am here, but unfortunately it did today.

It was just one of those days where one thing kept going wrong after another......having to deal with the car insurance, Jackson screaming throughout the grocery store, yogurt spilling all over the floor, people getting better offers than doing stuff with you, getting ready for that time of the month.....just not the way to start the week.

In light of all this it has made me extremely greatful for all of the things that no matter where I am living I still have: my loving husband, my wonderful son, an amazing family, and the best friends back home in the United States that I could ever ask for.

So while the honeymoon is over and the excitment of my arrival to Germany has settled, I see it not as an ending but as the start of a new phase of actually LIVING life here in Germany. This is when I feel the true adventure truly begins.......

Ode to German Plumbing by Amanda Hardin

German Plumbing, Oh German Plumbing
I hate you, you stink
First it was my toilet, and now my sink.
If only your plumbing was as good as your brats,
but instead all of your pipes are tied up in knots.

I'd rather take baths
with 100 electric eels,
or eat live crickets for every meal,
hand feed a lion,
or pet 10 porcupines
then see one more plumber,
the Hausmaster assigns.

German Plumbing, Oh German Plumbing
Your giving me fits
At this point it might be easier
if you didn't even exist.
German Plumbing, Oh German Plumbing
we will try one more time,
but if this doesn't work
WATCH OUT YOUR MINE!

***Bonus points if you can identify the poem I used to base this off of

Bowling in Burghausen ( or at least in the little town right next to it)

So last night I went bowling with the Women's Breakfast group that they have here in Burghausen. It was quite the experience. I have broken down the main points of interest for you from last night and have included some pictures:

Music: On the plus side I was able to sing along with almost every song that the played in the bowling alley; however, the down side was because I had listened to these songs when I was in the fifth grade. We had a nice medley that included but was not limited to the following songs: Ice, Ice Baby, Me So Horny, Music from Night at the Roxbury, Sweet Home Alabama, and many more. Now I will say I believe I did hear two songs in German- one sounded like a song from Titanic and the other one involved you making gestures like you were swimming. I am not sure which was worse.

Food: Now I will admit I do not expect any form of gourmet dining when I order food from a bowling alley, but this was pretty bad. Perhaps I should not have ordered nachos in Germany and at bowling alley, but I thought how hard could it be to make chips with cheeses on them??? Apparently this is a very difficult task in Germany and you should just stick to ordering meat, cheese, and bread. They usually do those three things very well.

Drinks: I can honestly say this is the first time I have gone to a bowling alley that has a FULL bar. Sure back home you can get a pitcher of beer, but that is about your max. There is even a button on each lane that you hit for service ( i actually hit this when our bowling pins froze up thinking they would service the lane, when actually a waitress showed up instead!). They even give away free drinks. At one point they announced that the next person to get a strike gets a free Sex on the Beach. I am happy to report that someone from our group did win this! Leave it the Americans to win the free drinks!

Overall, it was a blast. I ended the night in three intense games of Air Hockey, which I am happy to report I won all three in a clean sweep, 9-4/9-3/9-5. Sorry LeAna. Better luck next time!

Please Won't You Be My Neighbor.......

When you move anywhere new there is always the uncertainty of what your new neighbors are going to be like. Will it be the Griswalds, Cleavers, or just another random axe murder???? I am excited to report and ease every one's minds that we do not live next to an axe murder that I know of yet. In fact we have actually hit the neighbor jackpot with our next door neighbor LeAna (who is new like Rob to the company) and our neighbor one street over Tracey (who is our Relocation Assistant Extraordinaire!)

LeAna automatically gets props because she has had to go through weeks of training with Rob...Amen Sister!!! Then on top of that she tolerates our dog Max and Jackson inviting themselves into her place anytime both of our doors happen to be open. The picture I have posted of Jackson she took while he was doing laps around LeAna's couches.

Then there is Tracey....our German guardian angel. She has been amazing with figuring out everything here, and then she earned extra bonus points when she invited us over for dinner this weekend and had MEXICAN food! It also is great because she has a little boy who is just 3 days younger than Jackson, a black lab the same age as Max, a bald husband who will play contact sports until he can no longer move, and an older son who I like to call the "Baby Whisperer: or if nothing else the "Jackson Whisper." He is magical.

So for all people who will soon be relocating, I truly hope you have as good as luck as we have had with this move.

Everybody start your engines.......or at least try to.

I usually consider myself to be a pretty intelligent person; however, this morning I faced a challenge that if I had asked someone for help, rather than thankfully eventually figuring it out myself, I am sure the word intelligent would have been the last word to come to their minds. What was this challenge you ask????? Starting my car.

I truly believe whoever invented the push button start for these new vehicles has also placed hidden cameras in all of them and is sitting back and laughing hysterically as each unexpected driver gets in and can't figure out how to start the dang thing. Let me explain my morning to you.....

            It was a quiet and peaceful morning in the Hardin Haus and Frau Hardin planned to take her
            son to the grocery store to get some essentials. At 9:15 they made there way into the -14
            degrees Celsius and got into the car, Frau Hardin placed the electronic key in it's slot and
            pushed the electronic start button. Too much avail nothing happened. Frau Hardin tried and
            tried again but still nothing. She then remembered someone saying that diesel vehicles will
            not start if it is below a certain degrees, so she thought maybe this was it. She then got her
           son out of the car and headed back inside. At 10:45 they made there second attempt. Once
           again no engine power. At this point Frau Hardin was frustrated to no end, and her son was
          crying from the early stages of becoming a human possible. Frau Hardin then realized this message
           was continuing to pop up on her dash; however, it was in German and she had no idea what
          it meant. She then wrote it down, go her son out of the car again, came inside the house,
           looked up what the message said on her computer, and discovered YOU MUST HAVE YOUR
          FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN PUSHING THE START BUTTON.

So just in case there is anyone reading this blog who works for Volvo or any other manufacture that has push start key less ignitions or for Avis rental cars or any other rental car companies, please post somewhere in the vehicle how to start the dang thing! (or maybe I should just stick to less advance vehicles) :) However, I did feel better once I talked to other people and they had the same problem and had to ask for help.

 Our new home...Burghausen Germany

 Our apartment building. We are on the first floor on the left handside.

 Brandon and Johann at the wine tasting. Johann is a wine maker in Austria and brought us wines to try you can not get in stores.

 Burghausen Castle

Random Church in the German Countryside.

We Made It!!!

So yes we did finally make it to Germany and have semi-settled into our new apartment (pics soon to come), but not without some bumps in the road and typical "Amanda" stuff being done along the way. Here is a synopsis of our adventure up to this point:
The flight over here went better than expected as far as Jackson goes. He slept all but 3 hours of the flight. However, mommy maybe got a 30 minute nap in towards the end while Jackson snoozed on dad. Hte nice thing was that the flight was not very full so they gave us our own row, which worked out nicely.

Then we get to Munich and the fun begins literally as soon as we step foot off the plane. Apparently the people in the Munich airport think you are just going to I don't ride up and down for fun on the elevators that bring you in from the cold to inside the terminal, and therefore require you to have a key to operate their elevators given only to specific personnel. Once we got to the elevator we were the third stroller in line, eventually someone came but they could only get two strollers on the elevator at a time, so we were left to wait. Then somehow the FORGOT us!!!!!!!! How do you forget people on the cold, especially when there is a baby and the temperature is like 10 degrees. Rob ended up climbing stairs through the airport to find one of the magic keyholders to finally come get us. Then upon coming out of Customs we expected to see a sign for our driver who was picking us up, this was so not the case and since we were left behind outside the rest of our group were already gone. Finally after waiting forever, paging the driver, 2 of Rob's co-workers coming to our rescue, a 1/2 mile hike, and waiting another 30 minutes we were finally on our way out of the airport.

We were then about 30 minutes in to our drive when I realized I had left my phone in the seat pocket of the plane.....ugh...I am still dealing with this mess. Apparently Luthansa airlines would prefer me to come and look in their lost and found to see if they have my phone. It is in a HOT PINK case, how hard can it really be look in there and see if you see it, unless they just happen to have an entire lost and found filled with only hot pink items.

Our apartment is really nice and bigger than I thought it would be. However, lucky us managed to get the winning apartment whose toilet was connected to the shower.This then entailed my first morning here getting to know the plumber as he worked from 8-11am to fix the commode. I am happy to say though we now have a working bathroom. Besides this, our time here in Burghausen has been amazing. Everyone here is super nice, the scenery is amazing ( Who gets to drive by a castle to go get gas....ummmm that would be me!), and the food is good to. Though I do have to say the first meal we ate out here was at McDonalds.

Well I have to run. They are keeping us super busy going from one thing to the next. We are getting ready to leave to go to a Wine tasting. So it should be a good time. I hope to get some pictures posted this weekend. AufWiedersein!

Germany....Ready or Not Here We Come!

Guten Tag! Ok, so I have decided that I am going to try and document our adventures in Germany by writing this blog. It should be interesting as my current level of speaking German is probably the same as a four year old child. As long as no one counts higher than 12, sticks to the primary colors, and does nothing besides run/walk/sleep/eat/drink/play/read/write I will be good to go. I figured if worse comes to worse I am very good at Charades or like here in America you flash enough money around someone is bound to help you or all of a sudden speaks perfect English.  I will let you know how this lingual adventure goes. ( I literally just wrote that last sentence so I could use the work lingual. So fun to say, sounds dirty but in no way is, and you hardly ever use it. I mean when was the last time you used the word lingual????)

Anyways.....we are currentlly residing at the Hampton Inn here in Knoxville as the movers finished packing up all of our stuff yesterday. That is when it finally hit me that OH CRAP we are really moving to Germany. For some reason up until this point it had seemed unreal, I mean how many people just hop up and move overseas unless you are in the military or have severely pissed off the wrong people and need to leave the country ASAP. ( And NO that is not why we are leaving the country. I may speak my mind but I am smart about it.)

Tomorrow we head to Charlotte, NC and Tuesday we have a direct flight from Charlotte to Munich. 9 1/2 hours on a plane with a 19mth old. Should be loads of fun. Lucky for us he is super cute, so if I get him to flirt enough with the flight attendant or some unexpected bystander maybe they will want to hold and entertain him for awhile. I had also been contemplating what drugs I could legally give him to make him pass out since it is an overnight flight (by overnight it merely means leave here at 5:00pm and miraculously get there at 8:15am when really to me it is actually 2am), but decided this was probably not the best way to go. I mean you never know how a 19mth old is going to respond to Prozac. Just Kidding.....please do not report me to CPS or if you do wait until after 5:30pm tomorrow. Thanks!

Well I may try and write one more post before we leave on Tuesday if anything exciting happens along the way, but if not my next post will be from Germany!