MIA ~ An overdue entry

Here I am, I’m back at last. I hope you weren’t worried!
It’s been an eventful several months and I’ve fallen dreadfully behind on my blogs and well, EVERYTHING!!

So here’s a brief update on the goings-on (including stuff I missed between those few entries I did provide...):

February (Volcano part I):
- Trip to Guadeloupe: 1 week of sailing is guaranteed to be fun but gets messed-up due to the erupting volcano in Montserrat. We get stranded in Paris for 3 days. Which no, doesn’t sound so bad until you remember that Paris is avant guard in fashion and stores are selling only the newest summer fashions while all we have in our suitcases are vintage summer fashion in a February cold snap. We layer-up in all our summer wear, purchase THE UGLIEST hat/scarf things from the local Decathlon (thank goodness for Decathlon) and manage to keep frostbite at bay. We crash at our friends’ place (M&M ~ nicest way to be stranded...) and then arrive in Guadeloupe to filter the ashes through our lungs. Sailing is a mere skeleton of fun, and is somehow, just not good enough after the volcano ordeal. Shame;

- Our apartment gets vengeful: a pipe in our wall starts leaking something ugly into our guest room;

March:
- The persistent pipe demands attention and ends up getting over 2 weeks of discussion, review, analysis, temporary repairs, grows it’s own fuzz, drilling, more repairs, conversations, kodak moments and eventually is fixed. Just in time for our guests!

- We visit Moscow (see other entries);

April (Volcano parts II & III) :
- We visit E's parents in Oxford and I'm introduced to the Bister shopping outlet.... gagaga drool!! Got an awesome designer belt for my birthday! Explored the Oxford campus with B & KEWK ~ most definitely stopping at a pub or two... and explored cool neighbourhoods in London;

- Spring Fling II cancelled. Dora & Sandra cancel their trip to meet up with Leah and I in Frankfurt due to yes, the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland;

- Leah visits E and I in Frankfurt with Patrik (9 mos). Poor them, get stuck here for 1 week vs. 3 days due to that blasted volcano (yes, still reaping havoc in the skys). We have a great time but flight issues and lack of supplies nag constantly in the back ground. Leah and Patrik fly straight to Canada for Part II of their trip;

- Our apartment is still vengeful: light fixtures break, bulbs trip fuses; switches blow-up;

- And ugggg tax season (in Canada & Germany)...

May (a month of changes):
- E and I visit Canada. Ahh, home sweet home! It was too fast but wonderful and a was a hearty dose of much needed soup for the soul. I reunited with friends and family in Toronto, Montreal and USA. Here are some updates:

- 1 GF with an amazing PhD in progress;
- 1 happily preggo GF;
- 1 GF visiting with her 9 month old;
- 2 GF’s considering exciting new career opportunities;
- 1 GF balancing work life / kids / husbands career changes with incredible grace (as usual);
- Family is a bit nutty with an assortment of things: home searching; home buying; moving; coping with renovations; coping with life changes; new car; new job...
- E&I discover WE’RE EXPECTING!!! Whoa boy!! Talk about life changes (bump photos to follow);
- Pop south of the border to attend the wedding of 1BF &1GF in Scranton, USA (yay!! Congratulations!!);

- Meanwhile in Frankfurt: mysteriously, quietly and innocently our hard drive crashes while we are traveling, taking significant casualties with it;

- We return Frankfurt to our dead computer (casualties: most of my photography work and writing ~ must resort to raw photos and retrace 8 months of work ~ the source of much of my daily life these past months);

- Keller wine tasting (for some);

- Discover long list of other friends who drank the pregnancy serum (aka: water);

- we get a toaster (sounds mundane, but it’s fantastic!!);

- we visit Barcelona (see other entry);

June:
- Tag along with E to Belgium and have a great long weekend visiting Brussels, Brugge, Gent, Aachen, Koly and Trier;

July:

- Naomi (my 11 year old niece) visits us in Frankfurt for 2 weeks. We take a 1 week road-trip to Munich and Neuschwanstein (in Germany) and Salzburg and Linz (in Austria). We explore and enjoy castles, museums, mountain views, swimming in a crisp Austrian lake (Attersea), the impressive Alps, storms, and the life of an 11 year old. We return to Frankfurt and to things a little more quiet (thank goodness! After 1 week away while being preggers I am simply EXHAUSTED all the time!);

- Discover I am suffering from Anemia. Joy. ZZZZZzzzzzz;

August:
- We find out we’re having A GIRL!!;

- My Mom visits (yayayayay!!) for a long weekend on her return to Nigeria. She is knitting up a storm for her new granddaughter*;

- Our apartment is still pissed at us (still not sure why...): the automatic blinds break. We have a temporary fix but it sounds like we’re breaking it every time we use it. Hummmm...

- E’s Mom & Dad visit for a long weekend. More baby excitement (conversations, names, research etc.);

- We celebrate E’s big three-oh!!;

- We visit M&M in their wonderful new French castle (abode). After much of their dedicated elbow grease, the house is warm and wonderful and we are their honourable first guests. We had a very nice time relaxing, catching-up, eating and shopping;

- *THIS JUST IN: We learned we’re having A BOY!! (no, not twins, just more accurate information this time around, with even more convincing evidence);

- I start preggo-Yoga.

Bump

17 weeks + 5 days: