Long due update

Berlin, Germany

10:30 am

Sunshine, slightly windy

Wow, it's been a year and so many things happened. 

Let's start back in June last year. I traveled to California again to be with my husband.

This time the first days were a little hectic because we had our second wedding planned for the end of June. 

So, the family and me were busy with the last of the preparations. A big thank you goes to Carolina!! She held it all together and mediated between me and my mom -in-law if necessary. She handled most of the planing and gave me tremendous support! Thank you so much! I love you!

Also, a big thank you goes to my husbands mom, dad and sis and Cat's sis Andrea for their unwavering support!

For the wedding some friends from Germany joined us and I was able to meet them in SF and we did a little sightseeing together. The Friday before the ceremony/party we had a little cake pop party. I had decided that we don't want a wedding cake, because it is mid summer and American cakes are way too sweet. So, we decided to make cake pops. With a couple of cake pop makers and a lot of help we managed a little over a hundred cake pops. It was fun, but also a lot of work. 

The day of the wedding my husband took me and Cat out for breakfast, which was great to get away from the buzzing house. We originally had asked an aunt to perform the service, but she was too shy to speak in front of so many people. Last minute my friend Florian decided to step in. I was so grateful!

Concerning the wedding party..lots of unfamiliar faces...some things that went great..other things not so much....the two of us were happy when we arrived at our hotel at night. But, again, I realized that this is not my kind of party and am glad that we had that garden wedding party in Germany.

Vic and I drove down towards Monterey were we spend a week together. The first 2 days Florian joined in and the left for LA. The two of us went on trips, had meals together, spend time on the beach and just enjoyed being together. 

On the way home we spend one night in SF to go into the Redwoods. It was great! Huge trees, fresh air... loved it!

After we got back home, it was time to tell the family about our decision to move to Germany and not the States. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but the decision to do that wasn't easy for me either. I always wanted to move to the states. But since 2011 I got extremely settled in Berlin, loved my job, had a great apartment and 2 cats. Friends are founding families. Vic didn't much like his 2 jobs and lived at home. He had undergone studies to become a graphic animator, but wasn't able to work in it. He might have a shot at it in Germany. 

At a family dinner I cooked we told them. The reaction was mostly negative, which was pretty hard for the 2 of us. I think they were disappointed we hadn't told them earlier and also afraid to loose Vic. We had made a decision and were sticking with it.

The week till my journey back home wasn't easy. The atmosphere in the house was pretty cold, which was due to the fact that everyone was trying to digest everything. So, I kept busy with Cat and Andrea. Gay Pride, a fair and the flea market. Great times!

Shortly after I got back from the States, I found out that I was pregnant! I was so happy! 

For a joke I had bought a onesie "Made in California". Well, that's how I told my husband. ;-) 

Vic and I decided he would come here at the 31st of August and I was glad to have him with  me for the pregnancy. I was determined to work till "mother protection" (6 weeks prior birth) but I started to collect water in my hands which made them swell up and I didn't feel anything in my fingers anymore. So I was put on pregnancy leave (which in Germany means full pay). It was strange being home 24h with my husband. 

Finally living together was a huge change! I was used to doing everything by myself and Vic was used to work 10 to 12h a day and then go to bed. It took some weeks but we were growing as a couple as my bump was growing. 

Vic got a Visa for 5 years. Started a language course at a private school. We spend a lot of money, but after 4 month decided to stop for the moment and find a different school, because it was just not going as planned. Vic is also working on his drawing and animation skills, which is very necessary after his hiatus. He is working hard! After a migration advise we enrolled him at the local VHS with state support. That course is going much better!

In the beginning I was 100% sure it was a girl I carried. The doc told us pretty early that it's a boy. We were still very happy! All we wanted is a healthy baby!

The Grandparents on both sides were so happy! 

So on March 16th our son Benjamin Victor was brought into this world. He is our pride and joy! 

We are still growing as a family (which will probably never stop). Learning to understand Bennis cries, be astonished about his development, keep looking for a job for Vic. 

Hopefully Vic's parents are gonna be able to come by the end of the summer (they need to make sure Nana is in good hands). 

This is it for now!

Much love!