April 01, 2016

Applying for an Infant Passport

April 01, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Less than 6 weeks after Evelyn was born, Aaron and I had a big trip back to the US scheduled. Tickets were bought months before she was born in order to take her back to meet her grandparents, aunts, and uncle for the first time, and to be baptized. But, in order for her to actually travel, she first needed a US passport. And, since she was born in Germany, we needed to first establish that she was a US citizen. Thankfully, it ended up being a fairly simple process, but as with anything involving the government, it didn't appear that way at first. Here, we will take you through the forms and process to apply for citizenship and a passport for a baby born outside of the US.

March 04, 2016

Evelyn's Birth

March 04, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Her due date was January 22. We had waited for months for our baby to make his or her arrival (we did not find out the gender, we wanted to be surprised!). Each day was spent in quiet anticipation, with my patience getting shorter and shorter each day. I couldn't wait to meet this tiny human....and not be pregnant anymore. Her due date came and went. I tried everything to coax her out - raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on an exercise ball, listening daily to a special hypnosis track that was supposed to make the baby come out, I went for walks, climbed stairs, and ate more pineapple than I care to admit. None of it worked.

December 02, 2015

American Thanksgiving in Germany

December 02, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Fall is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. I love the cooler weather, the colorful leaves, the crisp feel the air gets, the way the sun seems to shine softer on everything, and the smells of the season - from apples to pumpkin to that special smell of the leaves after they have fallen from the trees. Some of the best times, and best memories, happen in the fall. It starts on my birthday, continues with our anniversary, is followed by Halloween and finally Thanksgiving. For many, Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. It is the turning point from fall leaves to winter snow; it ushers the coziness of fireplaces, flannel pajamas, family, and the warm smells of Christmas. While many Germans are starting to visit the local Christmas markets (which opened this weekend), Aaron and I, some German friends of ours, and Aaron's cousin (who is currently living near Munich), celebrated a belated, traditional American Thanksgiving!

October 30, 2015

Home Stretch, Baby!

October 30, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

I honestly cannot believe that as of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant, which means I have entered into the third trimester. Wait...what? Third trimester? Seriously, where did the time go?! I feel like it was just a few days ago that I found out I was pregnant, and then that we were sharing the news with everyone. But, since I'm closing in on the final stretch, I figured it was time to give you all an update.

September 15, 2015

Naming a German

September 15, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Almost immediately after Aaron and I first found out that I was pregnant, we started discussing names. I mean, naming a human is kind of a big deal. That name sticks with them for life (well, in most cases it does), so you have to make sure it's the perfect choice. We wanted something classic, but not overused; uncommon enough to make it fairly unique, but nothing that people would have trouble pronouncing or snicker at after an important job interview. I mean, there are definitely some interesting names out there, but how hard is it to take someone serious when they have a name like Abcde (pronounced ab-se-dee), or Xena?

August 28, 2015

Going Home

August 28, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Tomorrow morning, we load up our small car with 4 giant suitcases and carry on's to head to the airport, park the car, and get on a plane bound for Detroit, Michigan. To say we are excited is the understatement of the century. Just over a year ago, we were going though this same process, but in reverse - boarding a plane bound for Frankfurt. We are headed back for our ''long'' vacation this year: two weeks in the beautiful, glorious, water-surrounded, family and friends filled, state of Michigan. Eek! So excited!

August 11, 2015

One Year Later

August 11, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Well folks, it's officially been a year since we boarded a plane in Detroit with a one way ticket to Germany. Aaron and I were both just thinking about last summer and how stressful it was - packing up our lives, selling the our first home together, going on the most amazing two week vacation right before we left, wrapping up loose ends at our jobs, and saying dreaded good byes to family and friends. In all honesty, I can't believe it's been a year. The time has managed to pass both astonishingly fast, and agonizingly slow. I'm not entirely sure how that is possible, but it is. So in celebration of our one year expat-aversary, let's look back on what this year has brought us!