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America, Here We Come
3 years ago we made the decision to stay in Europe and move from Italy to Germany. I never could have imagined that just a few years later we would be itching to leave and return to the U.S. Between a rough pregnancy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and some health issues with our daughter — it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows this past year. Thanks to the determination and sacrifices of my husband, Stephen, we are heading to Ft. Carson, Colorado in just a few months. We’re finally moving back to America, y’all! A Recap of Our Time in Germany Our time in Germany started off a little rocky. The…
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Lillie Belle’s Birth Story | Germany, 2020
The nurse looked up at me with wide eyes and said, “Call your husband now. You’re dilated to 7 centimeters.” I couldn’t dial fast enough to tell him to get to the hospital RIGHT NOW. We were about to have a baby! While I waited for my husband, Stephen, to arrive, the nurses wheeled me into the delivery room. Everything moved way too fast and the next thing I knew, two men in white coats tried, in their broken English, to talk me through the process of an epidural. I glanced over my shoulder in hopes that Stephen would walk through at any minute, but he wasn’t going to make…
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What No One Tells You About Mental Health and Pregnancy
Pregnancy comes with a range of emotions — highs and lows. While it’s a beautiful thing bringing life into this world, the toll it can take on a first-time mother isn’t something commonly discussed. I want to tell you about my personal experience — my first and second trimester of pregnancy and the mental, emotional, and physical difficulties I’ve felt. At 6 weeks pregnant, I laid on the couch in agony. Not only was I experiencing severe morning sickness, but I was going through prescription withdrawals. But, let’s start from the beginning… In April 2019, I went to my primary care provider on the military base and told him we’d…
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The Greatest Adventure Yet: Becoming Parents May 2020
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or just don’t follow me on social media, you’ve probably already seen the news that we’re expecting our first baby GIRL!! What felt like months and months of waiting was so worth it when I finally saw those two lines. I’ve been pretty quiet here on the blog, and really all of my Outside This Small Town social media accounts for a while. There’s plenty of reasons for that. Ever since finding out I was pregnant, Stephen and I have both been so elated and ecstatic for this huge change in our lives. So many emotions have transpired over the last 5 months.…
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My Favorite Fall Activities: Grape Stomps, Picking Apples & Pumpkin Patches
When I think about fall, I immediately drift into dreams of crackling fires, crisp mornings, changing leaves, chilly nights, hot apple cider, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin everything. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year as the holiday season begins and happiness and cheer are everywhere. The weather is usually perfect — not too hot and not too cold. It’s the ideal time to harvest the fall vegetables, which leads to some of my favorite outdoor fall activities — apple picking, grape harvesting, and visiting pumpkin patches! Last fall, I tried to attend as many harvests as I could during my time in Italy. The main one I…
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My First International Flight With an Infant: COVID Style
I was pretty intimidated about my first international flight with an infant. My daughter, Lillie, and I flew from Germany to the U.S. when she was almost 3-months old. Things were so different flying during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the days leading up to our flight, I couldn’t sleep for imagining every possible scenario and playing out our trip in my head. That’s proof enough of how nervous I was to fly considering I’ve flown thousands of miles over the last few years. Stephen was in the field, so I went about this alone, creating even more anxiety. It turned out to be a relatively positive experience and one…
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Baby’s First Trip: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
When the Army finally lifted the 50-kilometer travel limit for us, we couldn’t wait to take Lillie Belle on her first trip! We’re stuck in Germany until she receives a passport, so we decided to book a stay at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The last time we traveled anywhere more than 30 minutes from our home in Grafenwoehr, Germany was in February when we visited Vicenza, Italy. Four months of staying at home during this crazy pandemic left us itching to travel again. We wanted to find somewhere convenient, yet beautiful since this would be our first travels with a baby; somewhere we could spend our time in…
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Alpbach, Austria: A Weekend of Hiking, Fine Dining & Relaxing in the Alps
Austria has always held a special place in my heart as it was the second country to which I traveled outside of the United States. Stephen and I visited Austria between Christmas and New Years Eve back in 2016, and I immediately fell in love with the snow-capped Alps and the towns dotting the countryside. We’ve continued to return to Austria time and time again on many road trips throughout 2018. In early September, I was planning to visit a nearby cow parade/cattle drive in the area. When a friend told me about Reith im Alpbachtal and showed me a few photos from previous years, I was hooked. I knew…
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The Complete Travel Guide to Thailand
Endless temples, elephant sanctuaries, white sandy beaches, floating markets, and cuisines like nowhere else in the world. These are just a few of the things you’ll experience when visiting Thailand. Dare I say you’ll fall in love with Southeast Asia and the friendliness of its people and it will leave you wanting to return time and time again. In this complete Thailand travel guide, I will show you an overview of the experiences we had when touring Thailand for the first time. It will be broken up day by day to show how long we spent in each city and the order in which we traveled. Important note: We booked…
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Cortina d’Ampezzo | ItalybyUS
I’ve shared my favorite things to do in Cortina d’Ampezzo, located in the Italian Dolomites, with Italy by US Vicenza. You can read the full article here:Cortina d’Ampezzo – A Town for All Seasons
