Pdxshopgirl's Blog

Home in Frankfurt!

pdxshopgirl — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:40:32 +0000

We finally landed in Frankfurt am Main on Tuesday, February 17th at 9am. A day and time that has been on my mind 24/7 for the last 3 months!!!
It sure was hard to say good- bye to my friends and family, but to be honest, I have the BEST friends in the world and so I know we will be in touch often and see each other as much as possible!
It was quite rainy and cold when we landed…. Very Portland indeed… So of course we felt at home instantly;)
The boys and I were x-tatic to see Mike and after a little GPS trouble we made it to the new house! Our airfreight got there the day before, so the kids had their toys and other familiar items waiting for them!
Notice how I’m not even mentioning the flight? EXACTLY! Don’t want to talk about it;)
Yesterday was great, breakfast and a nice long walk thru the woods behind our house… There’s a huge adventure playground right next door! Pool and all!
The grocery stores are quite exciting…. Sooo many yummy Italian, French, Indian, Turkish things, I will gain 10lbs for sure;)
We also spent 3 hours at a electronics warehouse (media mart) getting TVS, an espresso machine, a micro, a hair dryer, a radio, a DVD player and of course most importantly of all for the 3 boys…. A wii! I was hoping for the wii fit (since we don’t have a gym yet…) but that – of course- was sold out!

Now I have to bring my mom to the airport…. She has been helping us fir the last month…. I’m so grateful for that and I will miss her!!! My dad is coming tomorrow …. To help with all the IKea items we will have to purchase!

I am so happy to have this incredible opportunity to be here in good old Deutschland with my family, I really feel home here already – I have been here a whoopin’ 36 hours;) loves and loves and loves to all of you back Home in PDX and elsewhere…. I will write again tomorrow when our Internet at the house is finally installed!! Tschuess!

One more day…

pdxshopgirl — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:44:44 +0000

One more day until we leave….I have been keeping SO busy – partly because I have to get all these things done before we take off on Monday – and partly because it helps me from getting sad. I am SO very excited to be re-united with Mike, to finally start our new and exciting life there together – the boys are too happy to see their Papa again after six long weeks. It is a truly two-sided sword – what a great opportunity and how sad to leave all these wonderful friends behind. Thank goodness for Skype, Facebook and cellphones with cameras!

Last night I was with my wonderful beautiful incredible inspiring unbelievable girlfriends – cocktails and dinner – how blessed am I to have so many great friends. I am confident that we will all keep in touch – that we will have many many visitors from the States in our lovely little house over in Frankfurt. Please prove me right – I need you girls:)

Anyways, go to get back to more paperwork and emails…thank you again for being there for me…you know how much I appreciate your help with everything!!!!

BEST Movie quote ever: while sitting in …

pdxshopgirl — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:40:28 +0000

Cerulean Sweater

BEST Movie quote ever: while sitting in – again – a pile of paperwork…I saw that one of my all time favs was on TNT: “The devil wears Prada” . Memorize this…it should answer all your fashion questions:)

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y’know, it’s just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y’know, I’m still learning about all this stuff.

Miranda Priestly: This… ‘stuff’? Oh… ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean. You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff. “

There. That is just fabulous and makes me uneasy everytime I look at a “cerulean blue” top for myself:) Happy Weekend!

Since I have nothing else to do I decide …

pdxshopgirl — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:48:55 +0000

Since I have nothing else to do I decided to write a list about 25 Random Things you might not know about me…. Here you go:

1) I was born butt first – pooped on the table before the head was out. The Doctor said I had the right attitude from the start
2) I have owned 7 German cars – and I prefer to have nothing but German cars!
3) I never thought I could love 3 boys as much as I love my three boys.
4) I used to stay up late with my cousin and wait till my dad was asleep and then we would take his car for a joyride!
5) I never really cared for pink or girly things when I was little – jeans and trees to climb….
6) Don’t really like cats. Don’t know why.
7) Little kids in big people clothes : yuck. I’m talking tuxedo and ties….
I read magazines from the back to the front.
9) I do not care for the make-up parts in magazines.
10) I am immensely afraid of flying.
11) At one point my sister, cousin and I were dating a “Michael” all at the same time. 3 different Michaels
12) One day I will have my own TV show and run a marathon.
13) I would not let the nurses take my babies out of my room in the hospital. Followed them everywhere –even to the circumcision!
14) I am sad I don’t look good in yellow
15) Not a fan of fake nails.
16) I am not anti-botox. But since I am very afraid of needles it might never happen for me.
17) My biggest hope and wish in life is to one day see my children’s children’s children. While holding my husband’s hand.
18) I am really picky about my coffee mugs. They have to be a certain shape and size. Definitely not glass.
19) I am very glad I’m not 21 anymore. And not afraid of turning 40. Yet.
20) My parents gave me roots to grow and wings to fly. I am eternally grateful for that.
21) My favorite language is Italian. Even an ugly Italian man is sexy when he talks.
22) I secretly really enjoy watching football. ( PLEASE don’t tell Mike!)
23) Women wearing jeans overalls baffle me. Same with guys wearing pants hanging down to their knees.
24) My dad owns a pair of white loafers that he has had for 25+ years. BUTT ugly, I tell you.
25) I love lists. Any kind of list. Shopping list. Top 20 ugly Oscar Dresses. Any list. Love it!

Moving days updates

pdxshopgirl — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:30:35 +0000

Packing days…We have a crazy week behind us. I was supposed to go to Vegas – a quick girls trip with massages, dinners and dancing. Well, just did not work out that way. I guess it might have been good that I didn’t go since I was up packing and moving and organizing the whole house. My very wonderful super bestest friend Vicki was here Wednesday day and night to help with the last -and most important part – my closet. What to take and what to send on the ship???

So, Thursday and Friday the movers – Art, Shawn and Dave, came – http://www.alexanders.net – very impressive – they wrapped and packed and moved in lightning speed, nice and fast – all of our belongings that will be shipped on the boat to Frankfurt. Supposedly it will take 8-12 weeks, we’ll see. My parents have a friend whose stuff never showed up. Better not be us!

After that the house was empty, dirty and kinda sad looking. We sat around our really old crappy kitchen table that we pulled out of storage and on the floor and had pizza with the ever helpful Gile family. What a great time to really know who your friends are…Susanne taking my kids and keeping them busy with library and movies, Vicki at hand for anything thrown her way, Marianne with help where-ever and of course my M-I-L keeping my monkeys busy at home!!!

And not to forget my “boys” – the girls’ husbands helping me when I need a man around:-) – for cutting down fallen trees, installing locks on my doors, selling my cars…all kinds of great friends and helpers!!!! Thank you Chris and Tom!!

Here the news on the house – we had 2 different couples looking at the house ( which will be rented not sold) – so cross your fingers( or “hold your thumbs” – the Austrian way to wish good luck:)

Mike is doing great in Frankfurt: he bought a car, opened bank accounts and got insurance, a work permit and he even found a gym to work out in! He is full of hilarious stories of “helpful” Germans and weird rules (“no, you can not buy a month membership, even if you are willing to pay more, we only sell full-year memberships!”) and I know he is missing his boys terribly ( me too, I’m sure:) He sends them pictures of breakfasts he makes, playgrounds he discovers and fun stores he sees and keeps his monkeys close to his heart! We in turn send him Moonstruck chocolates, American movies and pictures of our moving adventures. Well, Mike is off to London for a week, so we need to change our time-calculations again when calling them ( -3+1=am time in london…totally makes sense, doesn’t it?)

I am in the “final stages” of turning over my Portland PDX Shopgirl operations to Trish – today I met with the lawyer – he will put our contract together. I even have a “Frankfurt Shopgirl” tab ( http://www.pdxshopgirl.com )on my website now!!!! Yippee!!! This week the movers are coming back on Friday to load 1000lbs of things that will go on the “fast” 3 week airplane trip – which should put them there at about the same time we arrive. Let’s hope!

I am also working on my newest newsletter…. I don’t know why that always takes me that long! Oh, and we get to do a photoshoot with a new and exciting photographer in downtown PDX for our new wesite home pics! What to wear??? I should ask a Personal Shopper…oh wait:)))

My Mama came today from Austria to help finalize our things in Portland – I will miss this city that has been my home for a really long time now. I get sad driving through West Linn, I am really happy and at home here. BUT I know how fast time goes, I know we will have so much fun in Deutschland, I am so excited for all the great things that we will see and do over there – but just let me spend a few sad days… I will miss you, my American Town.

Good to know we will be back. What great friends we have here. You better all come visit and bring me all these things I will miss from here. ( Don’t laugh: I already bought 5 boxes of Kirkland cleaning wipes-yes, 5 packs of 3 - no such thing in Germany)

Ok, enough sadness and sillyness for one post…nightynight!

We are Packing!

pdxshopgirl — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:46:22 +0000

Joseph amongst the boxes

first post of 2009. What a crazy year wi …

pdxshopgirl — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:45:56 +0000

first post of 2009. What a crazy year will be ahead? Today I had a 50 minute massage…how can intense pain be that wonderful? I carry all my stress in my back and neck and the masseuse (sp?) said it would take DAILY massages for a month to even make a scratch. Enchanting. But not TOO realistic!
Two more days before CH moves to Frankfurt…he is SO calm…freaks me out even more. He would make a grand poker player – oh, wait, he is a great poker player:) – but you can’t tell anything’s going on. Me on the other hand, I’m an emotional wreck, but what else is new:))
I am hoping this coming week will bring some clarity on when our stuff will be packed up, if Joseph will be accepted into FIS and what the Property Manager for our house will do. I also need to send my January newsletter out and finally “Officialy” announce to all my clients that I’m moving, but I want to wait till I have confirmation that I have someone to take great care of them. Sitting on my (new) couch I am wondering if our Sundays in Germany will be as calm and relazxing as they are here. There are SO many things we will want to do and see, I don’t forsee us “sitting around” a lot:) I am looking forward the most to getting to really know Frankfurt – I always feel the most at home if I know my way around ( including ALL the backways!) . I am also THRILLED to be able to “hop” over to Vienna with my boys, just for a weekend – and that mi bella italia is only a stone’s throw away. I will spend my birthday in Italy, how is that for a “vision board” visual. There – Happy New Year to all, let me know when you’ll visit:)

So, here is the “quick” update on what …

pdxshopgirl — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:29:54 +0000

So, here is the “quick” update on what’s happening in 2009: My CH is moving to Frankfurt, Germany on January 6th – the boys and I will follow 2/16. We have to pack up the house ( with help from my mom, who will arrive at the end of January) and change pretty much everything from bank accounts, insurance, cars, ets…in the meantime. This is a very exciting time even if it is all very overwhelming and exhausting and of course also sad. I am in the (slow) process of handing over my PDX SHopgirl Portland Operations to a dear friend and I want to start Frankfurt Shopgirl after we are settled in a little bit. I am very much enjoying the fact that I am cleaning and simplyfying – having completed 13 (!) trips to Goodwill already, with many more to come. We have been in our house for almost 5 years and we have accumulated more things than we have the need or the room for. And since our house in GER will be a bit smaller we need to downsize. I like the idea but I am slow in the execution. We will need to sell both of our cars and some furniture. The house will be rented out – I will update on that process as soon as I know what’s going on…which is not much at the moment.
Jojo will go to an International School – hopefully FIS – but we will find out for sure the first week of January. The plan for Maxi is to go German Kindergarten for a year (or two) – he could use a Hessischen Accent:)
OUr sweet but stinky Beagle Old Man will move in with my moms friend Annie – only problem is that she lives in MD and we don’t quite know how he will get there yet…
OK, I think that’s it in a nutshell, I will keep you posted on my progress or lack thereof:) Loves to all in the New Year – may it be a happy and healthy one for all:)

Quick iphone post test

pdxshopgirl — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:53:11 +0000

Man, I’m such a techie…is that even a word?…I am posting my blog from my phone! Now, I will even attempt to attach a random pic from my phone, wish me luck!

today I went to get new wiper blades for …

pdxshopgirl — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:22:27 +0000

today I went to get new wiper blades for my beloved Touareg – which I have to sell in a few weeks – and I could’t help but think how nice it is to know where to go when you need i.e. something as simple as wiper blades. Where will I go in Frankfurt. Well, I guess it will be up to “Frankfurt Shopgirl” to find all that out! I am just happy that I already found the best boutique in all of Sachsenhausen ( where we will live) on our short home-searching trip. It’s called Hype but it does not have a website. Must meet the owner and convince them to get it up on the web so my Portland Shopping Buddies can shop online!