Having a child with a complex medical issue that few doctors can help with has been a struggle. I hate seeing how this condition affects my child’s quality of life. That said, we have a plan. Do any of my friends get Von Willebrand factor infusions? Hoping this is the answer. 🤞🏼
Giving credit where it is due. A hematologist called this morning and was so kind & helpful. I am truly grateful. I was overwhelmed and frustrated yesterday, but now we have a plan for my child. Bleeding disorders are so tricky and no regular ER doctor or Hausarzt can help.
2 truths that coexist:
1️⃣ We have excellent doctors here in Berlin & I never have to worry about the cost of healthcare.
2️⃣ I miss the availability of American doctors.
One of my kids has had an urgent issue hematology issue today. I’ve called/emailed everyone. No response from anyone. 😭🙃
If you're looking for an honest review of Berlin’s Stranger Things “Christmas Market” (which is really a pop-up experience), I wrote up everything you need to know—the lines, the Demogorgons, the 80s nostalgia, and whether it’s worth it. 🎄🧇
l.travelpirates.com/ujqf1
I put this list together with help from my amazing colleagues, and now Montenegro is officially on my must-see list for 2026!
I’ll also let you guess which destination was my favorite personal contribution. Hint: it may or may not involve puffins. 🐧🤣
l.travelpirates.com/ujpz9
Our twins are 14 today! What an incredible gift it is to be their mom. This year, I couldn’t physically hold them both for our annual photo, so they held ME instead. It looks like we have a new tradition! 🤗
You are the BEST for catching that! When I wrote the article, the castle suggested to me was Augustusburg in Brühl. Looks like I need to update the blurb and not the photo. I had to go back through all the comments my friends sent, and that mix-up slipped through. Thank you for the heads-up!
I literally almost commented that I forgot Nürnberg. I’m going to go back and add it to my further suggested castles!
Thank you for the kind words, my friends. 💕
Ohhh! It’s not too late to edit this and add it to my “Reader’s Suggestion” section. Thank you, Florian! I’ll check it out. ☺️
With around 20,000 castles, Germany’s not short on fairytales. 🏰 I asked some German friends (and Germany lovers) for their favorites and created this list. It looks like I’ll be busy traveling throughout Germany for the next few years. 😆
l.travelpirates.com/ujlQr
Thank you!!
I’m going to write an article this week on the top 5 döner locations in Berlin. Do you have any suggestion? I have a few in mind, but I would love some feedback from my fellow friends living in (or really loving) Berlin!
We had all four kids out last week. It was rough with all of their tests and picture day. 🥹
Such a perfect October day. 😍🍂
Our family loves Legos. We sadly couldn’t ship all of our sets when we moved to Germany, so we put them into storage. My husband flew in from the US today & surprised our boys with two of their favorite sets. Legos for the win!
10 bags sounds like the perfect number of bags to get. 😆
My mom got these for us and made sure my husband and I had a larger bag and got 4 smaller bags for the kids. 🤣
My husband returned from the US today and brought back the essentials: Peanut butter M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and books.
I should maybe rephrase that to say negative sentiments and religious zealousness like this are not something I have personally encountered in this part of Germany. People find out I’m a Christian when I mention I have a church activity to attend, and it’s never a big deal.
My ancestors were on the Mayflower and sought religious freedom. America should be a place where people feel free to be practice any religion. And yet, I have felt judged my entire life for being raised LDS (in the Deep South). In Berlin, people could care less. Thoughts like this are not a thing.
I will Venmo you (or PayPal you since this is Germany) to not use a knife and open that bottle. My husband is still recovering from his butter knife injury to the hand during our move. I think you let the bottle win this round and go buy a new one!
My family and I attended church today in a chapel like this. Just moments after arriving home, my daughter saw the breaking news. She looked over at me and matter-of-factly said, “So schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and even churches aren’t safe.” 🥹
That about sums it up.
So I guess I’m oversharing because I’m legitimately worried about this “new normal.” My stent was placed a year ago, and I had relief for about 4 months before the symptoms started again. But the persistent bruising is what really concerns me.
The stent is working. A doctor who did the ultrasound to check it told me I should see a therapist instead of the radiologist because I’m crazy. I’m on no blood thinners because of my bleeding disorder, & it took so much courage to go back after my initial complaint. So I guess I just accept it?
I had a DVT due to a condition called May-Thurner Syndrome. I had a stent placed. It worked for a few months, but my leg goes numb like it use to, tingles, & randomly bruises behind the knee. I’ve been in twice to have my stent checked. But it’s another night where I’m bruised & my leg tingles. 🙃
One of my favorite movies. I wish they had kept the working title of Live Die Repeat (although it’s sometimes listed as a subtitle.)
That was my daughter’s favorite part about going to Amsterdam to see the tulips. 🤣
My husband is in the US cleaning out our storage unit. We would like to ship our books to Berlin, but it looks as though media mail isn’t an international thing (from what I can see online). Any recommendations from people who have mailed boxes of books from the US to Germany?
I’m on the bus & a girl is speaking in English to a friend. She asked her friend, who is presumably American, “How do you say it? Running around like a decapitated bird?”
Her friend just stared, & it was SO HARD not to say, “That’s an expression! You’re so close! A chicken with its head cut off.” 🤪
