Surprises...they keep coming

It seems like just yesterday that I wrote this phrase on my first blog post ever - "Alex got the call!"

The call, just over two years ago, began an incredible journey of ours in lovely Luxembourg.  Two years of traveling all over Europe, making friends from all over the world and doing life in a place we didn't know existed until we got "the call."

Last week it happened again - Alex got the call.  We'd been expecting a move back sometime this year with no idea of the timing or the location.  I thought we could even end up back in Nashville, which is still home to me, but God (and Caterpillar) had different plans.

This April, Alex and I will find ourself on the West Coast.  We'll still be a long way away from the South but at least we'll be on the same continent (and I won't have to worry about bad Skype connections :)  Our new adventure will begin in San Francisco.

My one and only memory of San Francisco took place several years ago with my dear friend, Mary.  We were single and twenty-something on a grand adventure.  Mary and I drove down the California Coast on Highway 1 from the Golden Gate Bridge down to San Diego, making lots of pitstops along the way.  The one and a half days in San Francisco completes my history there.  Alex has never been.

Because our Luxembourg visas expire on April 1, our transition is going to be fast!  The checklist of to-do's is enormous and overwhelming.  The San Francisco / Bay Area real estate market is the exact opposite of to our advantage with homes selling for OVER list price in the desireable areas.   I'll be 7 months pregnant when we arrive with no doctor to deliver this baby girl.  Let's hope she doesn't arrive early!  Since she's half Alex, I'd say early is very doubtful :)

The good news is that I do have a friend or two who will be nearby.  A high school friend, a few years older, who I always greatly admired was a part of a church plant with her husband in the very Bay Area neighborhood we're interested in living in.  Katie has already been a tremendous amount of help to me and most of all, given me the comfort that I will be known in a big, new and unfamiliar place.  For this, I am thankful!

With all the excitement of this relocation news, my heart hasn't had a chance to grieve what we're leaving behind in Luxembourg.  I've met friends here who are like sisters and will be in my life forever.  I can't fathom not seeing them regularly and watching their families grow.  This is the part they don't tell you when you agree to be an expat.  This is the 'bitter' in the bittersweet part of heading home.

The next few weeks will be full of ups and downs - the bitter and the sweet.  Soaking up friends who I will soon have to say goodbye to, checking off a massive to-do list, visiting special places in Luxembourg for what could be the last time.  The sweet will follow the bitter in this case.  There will be so much joy in hearing the words "welcome home" as we are cleared through customs when we land on US soil.  There will also be joy in starting another chapter of my live with the one I love, buying our first home together and becoming parents for the first time.  Life is full of sweet surprises...and they keep on coming.

Love from Luxembourg...
Melanie

Its a...

At just 16 weeks, our sweet doctor here in Luxembourg could already decipher the sex of our baby.  Technology these days is absolutely amazing.

Alex and I both knew that since I don't have the virtue of patience, I wouldn't be able to wait until our delivery to find out if I was going to have a son or daughter so that option was out.  I also didn't think that I wanted to find out - boy or girl - sitting in the doctor's chair with that cold gel on my growing stomach.  So...

Sarah to the rescue!

Sarah told me to get our doctor to write the sex of our baby on a piece of paper and to put it an envelope that I brought to the appointment.  Because of the cultural differences and potential language confusion, I didn't explain anything else to him beyond this one thing.  I figured I'd keep it simple and even write the French names for "boy" and "girl" on the card so all he had to do was circle the correct word - in his own language to avoid any mishap :)

Once I had the closed envelope in my possession, Sarah came and picked it up.  She baked a gorgeous cake for me and Alex, coloring the inside either pink or blue.  Here's the beautiful turquoise cake...

After dinner with Sarah and Chris on Friday night, Alex and I cut the cake...

And much to Alex's surprise, the inside was...

We're having a little girl :)

What a memory Sarah and Chris gave us.  We'll always remember "the night we cut the cake" and can tell our little girl all about it one day - complete with photos and a video.

Thank you, Sarah, for a perfect cake and a precious memory!

Love from Luxembourg...
Melanie

Thankful

With 2013 upon us, it seems like a good idea to join others around me in choosing a "Word for the Year."  I think mine will be thankful.  Along with that word of the year, my one little New Years Resolution is to stop complaining about the Luxembourg weather :)  Alex encouraged me in that decision as he got tired of hearing me say I was freezing every time we walked outside in the overcast, misty weather that we've been enjoying / enduring for about 6 months now.  The vitamin D jokes probably also got old.  There's gotta be a big industry for the sales of Vitamin D suppliments here with the absence of sun.  Just saying.

So, I'm actually enjoying my non-complaining self this crisp (snowy) Luxembourg Monday as I sit here writing another over-due post about some news that I'm overly thankful for.

And the news is...Alex and I are going to have a little one in June!

Yep, I couldn't be more excited.  It has been so much fun sharing the news with family and friends these last few weeks.  My favorite part of sharing the news has been seeing friends share genuine excitement for and with me...

Friends who long (and continue to wait) for a child of their own.  Their sincere excitement blesses me beyond words. 

Friends who are still single and long to be married. Their joy for our good news humbles me in such a deep way. 

The sweet words and squeels from all my friends and family has been so special to this first time mom-to-be.  Yet I must say the reactions of friends who are still waiting for their prayer to be answered has made a lasting impact on me.  It has amazed me and completely blessed my socks off. 

In the process of seeing a selfless happiness in others...for me...I can learn a lot about how to better love and how to be content.  It has also given a lot of meaning to my 2013 word of the year.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Love from Luxembourg...
Melanie

The most special visit

Alex and I have been fortunate to have so many family and friends visit us in Luxembourg this last year and a half. (I can't believe we will have been year 2 years in April!!)  We had wonderful, unique times with each and every person and made memories to last us our entire lives. 

The most special visit for me was from my sweet parents who left their comfort zone, applied for passports and embarked on their first International flight...all for me.  The news of their coming was just so exciting!

Because they only had 10 days in Europe, I wanted to make sure that we chose the absolute perfect city for the time they wouldn't spend in Luxembourg.  Since Rome is one of my favorite places in the world for reasons mom and dad would love also, we booked their flights from Atlanta directly to the magical city of Rome, Italy.

Rome ended up being the perfect choice for my parent's first glimpse of Europe. The warm people, delicious food and amazing history drew them in, as it does me each and every time I'm there. Mom and dad thrived and I loved watching them take everything in.

Though jet-lagged and running on no sleep, mom and dad powered through the Coliseum and Roman Forum the first day of their visit!

 

The Pantheon, which was just around the corner from our little apartment

 

And this photo with the "Pantheon Romans" was worth every bit of the 5 Euros these gentlemen made on us :)

 

This visit, Alex and I finally made it to the Mouth of Truth from the film, "Roman Holiday" (a must see!!)

 

After our Roman Holiday, Alex and I brought mom and dad back with us to Luxembourg for them to spend the remaining days of their stay.  We walked all over the city, through the Grund to Claussen and got some great photos along the way...

 

 

The Grund bridge

 

Our last little adventure, so that mom and dad could add another country to their list, was Trier, Germany.  Only 45 minutes from Luxembourg, Trier is a great day trip option for our guests.  There are ancient Roman ruins (Porta Nigra), beautiful churches and a charming, cobblestoned pedestrian zone full of shopping and sausages, of course...

 

The Porta Nigra (Trier's ancient "black gate" into the city)

 

After a busy and delightful 10 days, it was hard to see mom and dad go.  We'd seen a new part of the world together and spent an entire week in a half in each other's company.  It was just perfect.  I know I will remember that trip all my life - I think my parents will, as well.

 

Love from Luxembourg,

Melanie

 

 

 



 

 

 





Girls' Getaway

Mary was one of my first friends in Nashville so she's a special one!  I was so happy to hear that Mary, along with 2 friends, would be coming to see me in Luxembourg in August!  Alex was about to be in for a treat - FOUR ladies in the house :)  I'm quite certain he didn't mind.

Mary, Amy and Ellen didn't have much time in Luxembourg so, when they arrived from Paris, we hit the ground running!  First on the itinerary was a raclette dinner because you can't be in this part of Europe and not experience it!  This is special cheese, my friends!

 

 

The next day, a Saturday, Alex and I showed the girls around the city - we ate breakfast at our favorite spot, the Coffee Lounge, perused the market, did a little shopping and gave Mary, Ellen and Amy the chance to sample the chocolate shops in town.  Finally, we ended up about 30 minutes down the road on the Luxembourg / German border town of Schengen.  Schengen houses one of Luxembourg's white wine houses, Domain Henri Ruppert, which happens to have the loveliest view overlooking the Moselle River.  Here we are about to head inside...

 

 

Henri Ruppert didn't disappoint, nor did the view.  We're standing on Luxembourg soil but behind us, on the other side of the river, begins Germany.  Even more strange, less than a mile to the right, you have France.  Schengen is the city where the three countries connect.  Just another fun fact about little Luxembourg :)

 

Our plan for Sunday was to leave for Bruges, Belgium after church so, after the service, we made a quick stop by the Schueberfouer (Luxembourg's annual fair) to pick up some lunch before heading out of town.  This is one of my favorite photos from the trip - Amy and Mary diving in to their big bratwurst, a Luxembourg fair staple! I think they look pretty happy, don't you?

 

 

 

After the brief, yet memorable, stop at the Schueberfouer, the four of us girls piled in the car and headed to one of my favorite cities drivable from Lux - Bruges, Belgium!  Luckily, the 4-person room at my go-to little hotel, the Boterhuis, was available so we were cozy and comfortable just off the main town square.  I highly recommend this charming boutique hotel if you ever find yourself in Bruges...which you should!

 

The girls loved Bruges - the chocolate, the lace, the canal boat tour, the shopping and, of course, the food.  Here I am with Mary at our new favorite little restaurant, the Olive Tree...

 

 

After a long dinner, some free food (just one benefit of a girl's getaway) and much conversation with the young restaurant owner, it was evident that he'd developed quite a crush on Amy, the lovely musician of our bunch.  It wasn't long before Amy's album was playing throughout the restaurant and our new friend appeared to be a little starstruck.  I think its safe to say that we won't be strangers in the Olive Tree if we ever make it back.  What a memorable night and fun week with friends!

 

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie

 

 



A birthday celebration in a French farmhouse

Alex and I were so excited to get the invitation to celebrate our friend Martyna's birthday over a weekend in a farmhouse in France.  I know, we are so spoiled.  Here's the birthday girl!

You may remember Martyna and Paulius from my post on our lovely Lithuanian friends some time ago.  Well, Martyna had the wonderful idea to celebrate her birthday on a little trip with 10 friends - all of whom were Lithuanian except for Alex and me. 

We went to a T-I-N-Y village in the Champagne region of France where we stayed in a barn that had been converted to a 4-bedroom retreat.  The property had lakes nearby, large open fields and horses!  Spending the weekend with this group was so much fun! 

We all cooked dinner together...

 

 

Explored Langres, a nearby city...

 

 

 

Rode horses...

 

 

 

And celebrated Miss Martyna around a fire with chocolate cake!

 

 

 

And to top off the weekend, we played in a field on the way home and got some great photos with the haybales.  And you know...I LOVE haybales :)

 

Thanks to Ineta, Ema and Paulius for the great photos and to our sweet Lithuanian friends for speaking English the entire weekend so we could participate in the conversation :)

 

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie

 



 

 

A second visit from Ms. Connie

Once again, I'm going to attempt to catch up on all of our summer adventures. With the trips and large number of visitors, team Martin made so many memories this year. We had the chance to make a second round of memories with Alex's mom as she returned to visit us in July...

Ms. Connie is quite the expert travel planner. When she arrived, she'd done all of our work for us by routing out travel plans, finding accommodations, etc. for our journeys.  This time, we ventured to the Alsace region of France and explored new German cities in the Black Forest. One in particular, Freiburg, became another favorite city on my list and reminded me, again, that Germany is way underrated!

Here's a map of southwestern Germany where Freiburg sits in the corner near France...

 

 

Freiburg is a university town and that was evident in the amount of young people on the streets, the great shopping, the number of cafes and the energy of the city's center. Here we are (finally, yet briefly wearing summer clothes!!) at the market in Freiburg...

 

Freiburg market

 

Though Freiburg was our home base for the long weekend, we also visited several surrounding little towns including St. Peter, Furtwangen and Triberg. Triberg, below, is known for its huge waterfall...

 

Alex and his mom in Triberg

 

After several days in the Black Forest and a day in Basel, Switzerland, our trio headed back over to France to make a few pitstops in Kayserberg, Ribeauville and Colmar, France before returning to Luxembourg. Kayserberg was a delightful surprise, as neither Alex nor I had been there, or even heard of it before...

 

 

 

I bought an adorable ceramic baking dish in Kayserberg that will always remind me of our time there.  The style of baking dish is one of the things the Alsace region is known for.  Isn't it cute?  It bakes a delicious chicken, too :)

 

 

 

Our last stop, Colmar, is close to and similar to Strasbourg and just about as picturesque as it gets. Little bridges perched over canals, flower boxes on every window and colorful timbered houses describes quaint Colmar...

 



 

 

And thus completes another memorable and special visit!  Up next, a weekend birthday celebration in a French farmhouse :)

 

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Life on Purpose

I'm going to interrupt the summer adventure posts with some recent ponderings that I've been wresting with as of late.  I've had a lot of time with just myself and my thoughts this month.  August is THE vacation month and the month that working in Luxembourg appears to be optional.  Everyone packs up for 3-4 weeks and a mass exodus occurs until September.  While the free spirit in me loves this idea of checking out, the Martins remained in town and the extrovert in me (sans computer!) was less than delighted to be my own company for 3 weeks straight :)

Its funny what comes into clear focus when you spend extended periods of time alone.  I have been severly reminded over the last few weeks that we, as individuals, spend so much time taking care of ourselves and trying to make ourselves happy.  Here I am in a beautiful country with my husband, seeing the world, and living, for what seems to most, a fairy tale.  I've been reminded that just outside of this fairy tale, there are people surrouding me lost and in need.  People who benefit from me choosing not to make my life all about myself.  Its not likely that I will ever have this much free time again and I don't want to look back regretting years that were wasted in the grand scope of eternity.  I want to live life on purpose. 

Though I'm not sure what this will come to look like, I'm grateful for a few friends who are joining with me to dream about some possibilities.  Friends who share this vision with me and want to see what it means for their lives, as well.  There are prayers being lifted, research being done and contact being made to organizations and individuals in the city who are already making a difference. 

I'm also thankful for a book that I read recently called "The Scent of Water" and a Louie Giglio podcast titled "Life on Purpose" that have both stirred something inside me.  A Ralph Waldo Emerson quote will sum up today's post: "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have succeeded."

Let us live life on purpose :)

Love from Luxembourg...Melanie

A much anticipated European double date

Patrick & Libby started talking about a European double date the the very night Alex & I told them that we were moving to Luxembourg.  Two of our closest friends, both in our wedding and vice versa, Patrick & Libby, we knew, were going to make it happen!  And this year in April, Euro double date 2012 began!  Team Burke and Team Martin were united once again :)

Alex and I got to show our special friends Luxembourg, Trier (Germany) and Bruges (Belgium) before they continued on to Italy.  Many thanks to Patrick & Libby for the fantastic photos they took along the way!

We visited some of the Luxembourgish vineyards...

Our favorite view from a Luxembourgish vineyard overlooking the Moselle River,
which serves as the Lux / German border

We took a little weekend trip to the Champagne region in France to visit Moet & Chandon, as well as some smaller vineyards...

Moet & Chandon in Epernay, France

Moet vines - too early for grapes!

Our trip ended in the special town of Bruges, Belgium!  Bruges is always a treat - and to think, I'd never even heard of it before last year!

Patrick, Libby, Alex and I in front of the famous clock tower

And I love this photo of the Burkes on a scenic little bridge in Bruges

The same little scenic bridge in Bruges :)

The only problem with the visit is that it was too short!  But, without a doubt, I'd say Euro double date 2012 was a huge success!  Thanks for coming, y'all!  Euro DD 2013? :)

Love from Luxembourg,

Melanie





Lindsey Lou and Butch, too!

I'd been anticipating the visit from my dear friend, Lindsey, for months.  This wouldn't be the first trip in my history with Lindsey - memories of a week-long stint in the Texas hill country flood my mind :)  We were quite the adventurers together in our Nashville days. Life has moved us both from our beloved Music City but, I was reminded of those sweet times when I got to live another travel adventure with Lindsey this past May... 

There was much hugging and jumping up and down upon Lindsey's arrival :)

Though Alex had to work for part of the week, I got to show Lindsey and Butch around our favorite places in Luxembourg.  I introduced them to macaroons at Namur, a little bakery in the city center...

Macaroons & coffee at Namur

We wondered into the Grund, drank hot chocoloate at the Chocolate House, saw the Grand Duke's palace and introduced the Roebuck's to MORE food - a Swiss cheesy delight called raclette!

Lindsey & Butch and their first raclette meal (and yes, that's sweet tea bottom right :)

We also took a trip to Trier (Germany) and Maastricht (The Netherlands), one of my favorite destinations that you probably remember from an earlier post Maastricht Magic.

A water mill in charming Maastricht

The mill above actually powers the making of fresh,
homemade bread at this little Maastricht bakery

After a few days in and around Luxembourg, Alex and I met Lindsey and Butch in Amsterdam.  The visit there was fresh and exciting since none of us had been there before!  Alex and I arrived a little early so we popped by the huge tulip festival, the Keukenhof, just before it closed for the season.  Though almost half the tulips had already seen their best days, there were still hundreds of thousands of blooms and it was gorgeous!

Keukenhof tulip festival outside of Amsterdam

We found Amsterdam, despite its tarnished reputation, lovely and a great place to spend a weekend.  We enjoyed traveling everywhere by bike and even learned a trick or two when we didn't have enough bikes to go around...



There were beautiful canals lacing the entire city so we took a canal tour...

Visited the Van Gogh museum...

Vonder Park...

And, of course, ate some delicious food...

Restaurant Bizaar in Amsterdam

Our favorite meal, by far, was at a little restaurant on a side street called Zaza's.  If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, please go straight here for dinner...

After our AMAZING dinner at Zaza's

It was a perfect little European adventure.  Missing the Roebuck's already!

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie