April 25, 2018

Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg

April 25, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Finding things to do when we travel that won't completely bore a toddler, aren't super "kid-centric" and are interesting for parents can be tricky. As our daughter had gotten older, we have to find more and more things that she will enjoy when traveling. Aaron and I would love to just wander sometimes, eating at street-side cafes and stopping for a beer or glass of wine, but, a two year old finds those things boring. When we were in Hamburg, we knew we wanted to visit Miniature Wonderland - it's actually on our European Bucket List - and we were delighted when Evelyn found it just as cool as we did.

April 18, 2018

Port in Porto

April 18, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

One of the great things to do when traveling is to sample the local beverages. In Belgium and the Czech Republic, this is usually beer, in France and Italy it's wine. Turns out Portugal has a pretty fantastic wine culture; the most well-known of these varieties being Port. Aptly named, the city of Porto is the historical trading and export hub for these fortified wines which vary in color from a light amber to a deep purple-red. The wine is typically sweeter and often drank as a digestive or after-dinner drink. Not a big fan of sweet wines to begin with, I wasn't sure I would be a fan of port, but, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.

April 10, 2018

Life Lately

April 10, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Hey, it's me, Meghan. You know, the one who wrote most of the blog posts here consistently for a few years. I've been absolutely terrible at keeping up with this thing for the last, oh, 18 months. So what have we been up to in that time? A whole hell of a lot. Some travel, some home stuff, and a whole lot of normal life in between. The stuff that's not all that exciting to read about. But, I want to fill you guys in on what our life as re-pats has been like since we stepped off a Lufthansa A380 into the hot and humid air of Houston on July 31, 2016. I'll try to keep this short and sweet, but let's be real, it'll probably get long. Longer than I intend.

April 03, 2018

Introducing....Julie Grace

April 03, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Holy wah it's been a while! We have some big news to share with you guys! Our second daughter, Julie Grace, was born on November 16, 2017 at 10:42 pm. It's been crazy around here with two, that's for sure! I'm finally emerging from the blur just a bit and wanted to share her birth story with you all. I apologize for it's length, but I don't just write these stories for you all, I write them for myself. I want to make sure I capture all the details.

June 07, 2017

Another New Adventure: Two Under Two

June 07, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

I know it's been quiet around here and for that, I apologize. We've been busy with work, business travel, a little bit of fun travel, and still settling in to our new home. I had forgotten how much work home ownership is! Spring is always busy for us, and this spring has been no exception. But, I'm here today to catch you all up on a new adventure we have decided to tackle: 2 under 2! That's right, we are expecting our second baby in November. Eek! We are excited, nervous, anxious, but also, happy!

May 16, 2017

Reflections on Portugal

May 16, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

It's been quite a while since we've gotten back from Portugal. I have to say, Portugal, for being such a small country, is packed full of charm and oozes authenticity from every corner. In short, I fell hard for Portugal. The food, the people, the wine, the port, the countryside, the food (oh wait, I already mentioned that) - all were out of this world! When I was planning this trip, I wanted to try to see as much of this little country as we could in the week we were there, certain that we would likely never go back. But after our time there, my mind has been changed, just like when I finally realized why so many people love Italy. I can say with almost certainty, we will probably be back there at some point. Perhaps on our next delegation, we will have the opportunity to go there for a week, rent a house in the country side, and just relax. Hey, I can dream!

March 14, 2017

A Costly Mistake

March 14, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

After as much travel as we have done, you'd think we'd have things nailed down. From getting to the airport well in advance so we don't miss a flight, to planning out all the important details for once we arrive, to packing efficiently, we have established a formula for travel that covers pretty much everything. Unless there is a huge communication error between you and the airline and you neglect to purchase a ticket for your infant when traveling internationally. Want to know how I know you need to actually purchase a ticket ahead of time and not at the airport? Because it happened to us on our most recent trip to Portugal. Here's the full scoop on something that unintentionally cost us a pretty penny, and almost made us miss our flight in the process.