Huge Milestone: The Car Arrived

While we are still waiting for any news about when we will get our household goods, we have reached a huge milestone in the whole relocating-across-the-big-pond yesterday:

Our car arrived!

M was almost crying when he came home from work :) he missed his black baby! And you know what true love is? He let me drive the care in within the first 2 hours of it being here. THAT'S true love, indeed.

I can sum the rest of the day up with only a few words: carwash and cruisin'! We've had a blast, and to be honest it was one of the happiest moments we've had for a long time. The whole moving and especially the issues we are having with the company that is moving our household from Germany to the USA, are really a mood killer. And a money eater. Which causes money issues. You know how it is... Well, I will tell you more about that soon!

But: If you ever have to ship your car across an ocean, I can definitely suggest calling the people from CFR Rinkens. They, and especially our go to girl Connie, did an awesome job! Thanks again!

Happy Tuesday!

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Free! // 8 Days Left In Germany

Howdy dear readers!

I know, it was a little too quiet round here lately... The whole moving process was tougher than
I thought it would be. The moving company missed to book the container, so our household goods won't arrive in AR before mid April - if that early. Plus since we had 3 cbm extra stuff to be shipped, the moving cost a little more than expected. 800€ more. Ugh.

2 days ago I finally gave the keys to our apartment back to the realtor, and living at my sister's place since then. Usually it felt weird to leave places I lived in, but this time the only thing I felt was: relieved!

Bye Bye, Tannenstrasse 1!

Living with stuff that fits in 2 suitcases was fun for a while, but I'm ready to have a "real" life again.  I sleep on a couch for 4 weeks now, and I'm scared it will break my back again. It's not even a futon or a sleeping couch, it's more like a large love seat.... Ugh.

Tomorrow me, my sister and nephew will pack up the car and go to Trier. I will stay there until I leave Thursday night to go to Frankfurt airport. This gives me time to hang out with my other siblings, dad, and friends. I'm so ready to leave though!!! I will be back for my birthday mid June, so saying "goodbye" is more like a "see you later".

Happy Thursday and talk soon :)

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Moving: Check!

Good evening from Germany!

Just a quick update: today was moving day and everything went really smooth!

I caught a bad cold about 2 days ago, and was knocked out, so I'm happy I finished my part before the cold hit me, and the movers did a great job. It took a little longer than I expected, but at 4pm the little truck left and will be on its way to the sea port soon. 

Thank you all for your support and prayers!

I'll hide in my little camp now and sleep... I'm really, really tired and exhausted. 

Good night!

xoxo

Anni

S-O-S! Trapped in the basement

I am blogging live from the basement today.  I was just going through trazillions of boxes and footlockers...

Monday is moving day, and I'm happy to say: I'm 90% ready! 

But I've realized something else as well:

• M and I have a SERIOUS DVD problem. I didn't count them, but we do have a lot...
• I just found Xbox NUMBER 3 (!!!) in this basement. 

M took 1 to the states already, number 2 moved in with my brother, and now I found this. Geez.

I still don't know when I will finally hop on a plane. After the moving company was here to pick up everything, I will have to get rid of some stuff we won't take to the USA, and fix minor things in the apartment. After everything is gone, I will move in with my sis until I leave. I do plan on going to visit my other siblings, dad, and friends in the wild west before I hop over the big pond though. We will see.

I did fill my remaining time in Germany with some doctor appointments and check ups as well. Oh and I have a TOP SECRET appointment in exactly 2 weeks; only my brother and my ex brother in law know about! 

I will definitely post something about THIS on here, that's for sure. Stay tuned and watch out for spoilers.

Alrighty! I'm ready to take a shower and pass out on the couch!
Have a lovely Thursday and STAY WARM AND SAFE!

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11 Days

Time flies by! The moving company will be here in 11 days to pick up our stuff. I just finished packing a box with stuff I will need right away as soon as I get to Arkansas, like towels, bedding, PJs... Just a few essentials.

Last night I have ordered the first few kitchen gadgets and they will be there tomorrow! I hope M won't break them before I get there!!

Because of the 220V/110V issue, I had to get basically EVERYTHING. On Black Friday M already bought a griddle, a coffee maker, and a small CrockPot. Last night I ordered a 6 quart CrockPot, an immersion blender, a hand mixer, a food processor, an epilator, and a brick for my Nintendo Wii. Oh and pillows. M is still kind of living like a camper in our new home, so to be on the safe side, I've ordered those, too. Type a. Sorry.

Someday this week I have to go into the basement :o/ sorting through and throwing stuff away will definitely not be fun down there!

So this was a little update from my side! I will be back tomorrow!

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Relocating: Things I will definitely NOT miss about Germany (Pt. 1)

Howdy and happy Friday! 

The weekend is finally here. Oh and if you guys don't know what to do: come on over and help me getting this house in order, so I won't have to be ashamed tomorrow while showing the people who want to move in around! The Realtor called in sick, so I will have to do it.... Ugh.

Today I want to share a few things about living in Germany I WILL DEFINITELY NOT MISS! Don't get me wrong, Germany is an awesome country to live in. But a few things in daily life just drive you crazy:

1. The "Einwegpfand"

If you want to buy soda in Germany, no matter if it is a bottle or a can, you have to pay 25 cent extra. Deposit. Yes, on every single item there is a 25 cent bottle deposit. Or container deposit.

You might think I'm cheap, but it is way too much money to just throw the bottles and cans away. If you want your money back, you will have to go to the grocery store, wait in a line of about 15 other people with huge trash bags full of empty bottles and cans, put every single bottle into a nasty, sticky, stinky machine, grab the receipt (which my sister ALWAYS forgets), and cash it in at the checkout. 

2. The "GEZ"

The "GEZ" is a fee collection service, some bright human came up with in 1976. Every household in Germany using a Radio/TV/Computer/tbc. HAS TO pay €17,98 Euro (about $25) every month. On top of your cable TV or whatever service you are using. You pay them just because you can or could watch TV, even if you don't watch any TV at all. You HAVE to pay them. Seriously. If you don't, they will show up, just like the Mafia. They send you letters, ring your doorbell. They threaten you. They do everything in their power to make you pay. As far as I know you now have to pay for smartphones as well. Because you COULD use them to watch TV shows or listen to radio. Crazy shit right there. If you want to know more about this "criminal" German institution, check out this article on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEZ

3. The Very Grumpy People

When entering a store in Germany, some (or even most!) of the people working there give you the feeling you are not welcome at all. Like "Naw, go away, we don't want to sell anything. Oh and it's the time of the month so please just leave me alone. Me and my colleague want to talk about our weekend plans."

Did you watch "Pretty Woman"? Check out this video (at 0:30) minus the "Can I help you": 

Those grumpy people can be found in many places though. Like Christmas markets. Or at grocery stores. Oh, and in cars, of course! I don't know what's wrong with them, but being nice and polite is definitely nothing most Germans are used to, especially the ones who never ever left Germany. 

Anything my expat friends would like to add to this list?

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Relocating: The Car

Hello and happy Thursday!

Today marks another big step in the whole "relocating-across-the-big-pond" process:
The car got picked up!

There was no doubt we wanted to take the car to the US. M bought it brand new when he got out of the Army. It's a 2011 Ford Fusion, and we just love it. Plus it is US specs, so it would have been hard to sell it over here in Germany, since only Military personnel and/or civilians working for the US military over here would have been allowed to drive it.

After a whole lot of debating, researching, and pricing, we decided to go with CFR Rinkens. We had to go for a door-to-door car shipping service. So far I am very happy with them! Connie, our contact, is nice and quick. She replies to every e-mail right away.

The guy who picked up the car with this HUGE truck this morning was awesome, too! He called 1 hour before he got to Fürth, so I had enough time to get ready and meet him at the parking garage.
The best thing so far: Even though our Ford wouldn't start, the car was back running, stored in the truck, and ready to be shipped 30 only minutes later!!

Connie told us the car should arrive in El Dorado, AR, in no more than 45 days. Fingers crossed everything goes smooth and fast from now on as well!

Now the Ford should be on its way to Bremerhaven, and will be shipped to NYC as soon as possible. I think it's really exciting!

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Relocation: The Pet Edition // Coco's Trip Across The Big Pond

The most heartbreaking part of the relocation so far was getting our beloved Coco cat to the USA. There is a lot to keep in mind when you are relocating your cat. In our case that meant from Germany to the USA. Here is a list of what we did:

(If you use links in this post, I may earn a commission. Full Disclosure) 

Call the airline to make sure you can take the cat!

The minute I had M's flight data, I called Delta/KLM to arrange everything for Coco's flight. They have to confirm everything. Since the trip was Nuremberg -> Amsterdam -> Atlanta -> Little Rock, there were quite a few flights that needed confirmation. I would really suggest calling them as soon as you know the date of travel and flight number(s).

Usually they ask if you want to put your cat in the cargo section, or if it is allowed in the cabin. In our case there was no other way than taking her on the coach, and I was really happy about that. Knowing Coco would be in the cargo for more than 17 hours would have broken my heart. 

What's the best pet carrier?

I did a whole lot of research on this one. Since I knew M had to take Coco on the plane, there weren't many options. We decided to get the "SturdiBag Large". It is airline approved and lighter than most other carriers. This is important as well since all airlines have a weight restriction for pets traveling in the cabin. The airlines will most likely weigh your  cat in the carrier at the counter, so the lighter the pet carrier, the better. 

I built up the "SturdiBag" as soon as it arrived in the mail, so Coco used it as her little hideaway. She loved it from day one! For safety reasons I put a padded changing mat on the bottom and her favorite fleece blanket on top of it. M told me later she didn't pee or poop during the whole flight though. But anyways - safety first!

M had to squeeze the bag to make it fit under the seat in front of him. Coco would have had enough room anyways, but the flight attendants on all 3 flights were so nice to let him put the carrier either on a seat next to him, or aisle. So Coco and M made it across the big pond in one piece, safe and sound.

Is the cat healthy enough?

Coco had her vet appointment about 4 weeks before the trip. She needed a checkup, 3 shots, and a passport. I never knew something like this even existed! But yes, my cat is now a proud passport holder of the EU! Coco was a true rock star at the vet practice. She wasn't even complaining when her mean mama decided to get her chipped as well. Just a little "shhhhhhhhhhhhhh" and that was it! 

Well done!

A few more things to keep in mind:

You will have to take the cat out of the carrier while going through security check. A collar and leash came in handy in this situation. Another option would be asking for a seperate room while they check the carrier. Believe me, they will do it. No one wants a wild cat running around an airport!

You are not allowed to put the cat on any tranquilizers! If you do so, they might refuse to take the cat on board! What we were using to prepare Coco for the flight was "Dr Bach Rescue Remedy" - for pets. We put it in her water and on the morning of the flight mixed it up with some liquid cat candy. 

And the most important thing: Stop feeding the cat 12 hours before takeoff! Otherwise it might vomit and choke, and we don't want that!!!

My blogging friend Juanita was by my (Facebook-)side all through the preparations and answered every question I had.

http://juanitatortilla.blogspot.com

Her cats traveled a lot already, so I was happy to have her to calm me down.
Thank you, chickee!!!

Finally an update!

You can tell we are about to move... Let the chaotic days begin!

Hello my lovely readers and sorry for being MIA lately! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time and a smooth start into 2014? I definitely did! M arrived on December 21st. We picked him up at the airport, and I can't even describe how happy I was to finally be with him again after 8 long long months!!! We've had a wonderful time, eating out, strolling Christmas markets, drinking Glühwein, cuddling up on the couch watching movies... I really needed that! I missed my man so so much!

Christmas was wonderful as well. My family came all the way to Bavaria and we had a great time together!

So this is actually the main reason for me not blogging for a couple of days. Yep, I'm sugarcoating it :oD. Weeks would be more correct in this case.

I'm making huge progress in the whole moving process though! The apartment is very empty - I keep selling stuff! Love it! The moving company will pick up all the goods we will take to the states mid February. I hope I will be out of here and handing over the keys by the end of  February as well. 

Monday night the Realtor will bring the first couple of people over who are interested in moving in. Fingers crossed they will take my kitchen furniture!!! 

M's car will be shipped next week. Hallelujah! I still have to remove the trash bags full of stuff from the trunk, clean it inside and outside. But my brother in law promised to help me, so I am pretty much relaxed.

But the biggest news I am about to spill tomorrow! So make sure to stay tuned! 

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Wordless Wednesday // Relocating a pet

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Relocation: Saying goodbye to... most of my furniture

Slow but steady our apartment in Germany is getting emptier. I don't see any sense in taking e.g. IKEA shelves to the USA. We will only have one small container to ship all our belongings, so what's not worth the high shipping cost (around $5000 is the best quote so far) will have to stay behind. Which is most of the furniture, besides a few of my beloved antiques, the bed minus the mattress and box-spring.

I put ads on several Facebook pages, local newspaper websites, eBay, and eBay Classifieds. "eBay Classifieds" worked best for me so far! 

Some people are really rude though, and trying to get our stuff waaaaay too cheap! I mean, bargaining is fun, I know! But the prices I set  are really low already. Maybe it bothers me because I cherished my stuff for a long time and took good care of everything. I don't know. But most of our prices are already so low, I think it's not right to bargain. You can ask if it is the last price, but please don't get rude.

Two examples:

I've sold this nice side table (solid wood) for 5€ (around $6)...

...and this for 10€ (about $14) yesterday.  FYI: it retails at $129 at IKEA.

Do you think this is too expensive???

By the way: Is it crazy that I'm happy when my stuff gets picked
up and I see it is going to be with a nice person from now on? :oD

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Relocation: Staying organized // Calendar 2014

Every year around end of November LATEST, I have to make a decision: Which calendar will be by my side for the next 365 days? I am not very adventurous though. I usually go for a "Magneto Diary Calendar", or one of the special art editions of the "Deluxe Engagement Calendars" by teneues.

As I will move across the big pond in 2014, you know there will be so many important dates for me. So today I finally took some time during my lunch break, and started browsing through Amazon. Usually it takes me about 2 days to decide! But this time I just typed in "teneues calendar 2014" and this beauty popped up:

I absolutely love it and can't wait to pick it up at the mail office today!

Do you already have your organizer for 2014? If so, which one?

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Relocation: Saying goodbye to... my fave gadgets.

Moving from Germany to the US made me face one huge issue (well, there might be more, but this one is HUGE for me): 220V vs. 110V! My new enemy!

What I do a lot lately is to look at the back of the devices I want to take to and use in the USA. If it says something like "100-240V, 50/60 Hz", it will work anywhere in the world with the right plugs. Guess what? Most of them only say "220V". Which pretty much sucks. All my beloved kitchen gadgets, lamps, washer, dryer, stereo... (tbc) are only designed for the German electrical system. 

What does a blogger do (what does the fox say... sorry :oD) to keep track of what to re-buy? 

Yep, a nice Pinterest board that is!

CLICK

I keep adding stuff... Just realized there is no coffee maker yet. I need to win the lottery... 

All these different electrical systems sure is pure science. Voltage, frequency, plugs, adapters, transformer, converter... Waaaaaah! It even is a whole new language! 

I'm just happy I will still be able to use my laptop, iPad Mini, phone, and Wii! All I need is a couple of converters (ha, I learned that today!). But everything else, I will have to leave behind. My family and friends might be happy! 

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Wordless Wednesday // Progress!

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I can finally spill the beans!

I'm really excited about this huge change in my life. If you are a follower of my blog, you might have seen some hints here and there during the past months. I sure had to tell my family first, and my boss (means I quit last week and will officially be leaving my job December 31st). Yesterday I told my friends all over the world via Facebook (German version below):

So...

Michael, Coco, and Anni will pack up their stuff and move to the USA! 

Michael is already over there, working hard, living in our new apartment in El Dorado, with nothing more than a futon, plastic table, camping chair, and of course his computers. Yep, he is literally a happy camper right now! Oh how I can't wait to start decorating!! I love it. It's a 2 bedroom apartment, small, cozy, cute, in a nice neighborhood. Since Arkansas won't be the place to stay for more than 1-2 years, we decided not to buy a house. Our goal is to transfer to California, and buy there.

I've sent some boxes over already, but the big moving day will be around end of January. So there will be a whole lot going on in my life now! I started selling furniture, decoration, stuff we won't or can't use in the states anymore. I have a secret Facebook group where I post pictures of stuff I want to get rid of, so if you are interested, shoot me an e-mail with your Facebook info and I will add you. 

Plus: I sell clothes and purses on a German platform "Kleiderkreisel" as well. Just hit the "Shop" tab in the navi bar, and you will see everything I put on there. Keep checking back, cause I add things almost every day!

If you see something you like, let me know, and we will find a way to get it to you - if you can pay via PayPal! I ship world wide, but might have to charge you.

I'm so happy I can finally talk about all this! Keeping it a secret was tough... Now I'm happy! 

So be prepared to read more "moving" stories ;o) and relocation stuff on here from now on! I might freak out every once in a while as well I bet. Oh and look at the new buttons in my sidebar! I will definitely be a proud "Southern Blogger"!!

Are there any bloggers from Arkansas reading my blog? Hit me up! Blate time!!!

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Wordless Wednesday // Happening Soon!

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