First week in Vienna wanderers

     We knew we had a short time before we headed back out on a adventure elsewhere. We decided to just wander and see what was around. So we picked on location and wandered there. That location was Mozart's house. Which I figured would be a cool thing for Andrew to experience.

We walked because I was terrified of the underground. I just could not fathom I could take this crowd on subways....

On the walk we saw things that we already though were beautiful (little did we know what the weeks were going to hold)

A beautiful Catholic Church on our walk 

The Vienna Opera House 

The Amazingly Beautiful Stephen's church 

Sadly I had a friend at home that was very ill with cancer so we decided to honor her fight and light candles at every church we went into. So the first candle lit for sweet Kozue was at this church 

The Mozart House did not allow photos and honestly it was nothing to write home about :) 

Rebecca really wanted to go to peace Museum. I waited outside with my less than peaceful side kicks

 .

Well we wrapped up our time in Vienna (round1) 

We started studying road signs because the idea of driving to Venice than Rome seemed terrifying. However like I stated before every idea on this trip seems impossible so we must prove that all 

WRONG!!!

ITALY here we come Ciao!!!

Strangers In A Strange Land

This verse has been one that I now fully understand and now take to heart. I will apply it forever when I encounter those new to my native land. 

So the plane trip was ROUGH.... Like so hard and we ended up being separated on the plane so it was basically Robert and I to manage the youngest four totally alone. We thought car seats.. Nope car seats that were guaranteed to fit did not. I later learned why but one bit or research I should have handled. I am glad there was a poor young lady on my row who jumped in and held Clara and watched sam and just stepped in when I looked frazzled. I hope she had a lovely trip in Croatia. 

The plane basically was Robert and I switching on and off who was crying. Clara pretty much needed to nurse 90% of the time and jakey was miserable. Sam had a blast though and could not believe how fancy the plane was. He felt like royalty. I caught one picture of the one short nap they all took in the middle of the Atlantic. 

However we all survived and arrived at Heathrowe. Heathrowe was quick security because purely by magic we were the only people there. I know this is probably unlikely on our return. We made it through security and to the holding area. Then.... Jakey puked all over me. He was on my back in ergo and just lost it all. Well this mom was prepared for changes for everyone but myself of course. Sooooo I apologize for whomever sat new to me on Austrian Airlines. We did it though we made it halfway. Next we roamed over to our gate and there was a large line. Except attendants saw us and let us skip. I hated that because it really pisses people off however it happened a lot on this journey so we just need to embrace it I suppose.  This is a great expression

of how we felt after the first leg.

The flight to Vienna was rough it was hot and bumpy and I had clara and matthew and Robert battled Jakey. The people behind me kept singing "Vienna Waits for me" and they were so excited. I however was feeling petrified. How would I make this work?? My morale was sorta gone and panic set in. Everything was really weighing on me but we continued on. (had no choice at this point right) 

Well we arrived and the very first thing we did is we lost Andrew. We scrambled and looked for him. While doing that our driver was paging us and our bags were stacking up. We found him and these pictures show the weary travelers we were. 

As we gathered our insanely large pile of luggage it took three carts. Oh they only took Euros of course. CRAP we had no Euros. Robert worked it out and we found our drivers. The quickly loaded the vans and the first group took off. Well I was left with the little four and Rebecca. As the others drove into town our driver lost his parking permit. He rushed around lot with van swearing and panicking. All of a sudden he parked the car leaped out and ran away. This was how we felt. 

So here we are 4 kids 5 and under and Rebecca. I am abandoned in the vienna airport without a clue how to talk to driver or where to go. So we just waited and waited. All of a sudden he run back in car swears in German then says : I am about to be fired". He was angry and drove like it on the way to flat. Seriously I was terrified of the drive on the roads and in hindsight driving on those roads many times again it is not the roads but the driver. 

We finally made it and met Josef our landlord. He provided so much extra amenities to us. He put together a changing area, three cribs and a huge table for our family. The biggest surprise of all.. a extra bedroom. The flat is great and huge and will work great. 

So we unpacked and set up and this was how we all felt. 

SO we slept and we slept and it refreshed us. Then we ventured to see our neighbors down the street. I think the first time I saw it I was shocked at the beauty of what is Vienna it is amazing. I am sorta getting used to it but I still look around and think "wow I live in Vienna right now"

So I digress. We went around and explored Belvedere  Palace. It was amazing. 

This thing right here was my arch enemy for the first week. We have made friends and I work it hard. Figuring out appliances i another country is hard but now we have mastered it.

So we know we have 6 short days before our next adventure. However we knew at that moment. Vienna was waiting for us to explore. So the first week we will write about tomorrow. 

Vienna Waits For You

Diary Entry June 8th 

Today's musings. 1- when you are allergic to cherries and want to test if it is just american pesticides (which many say). If you are a idiot you start eating and devour a ton. Then when your lips and tongue swell up, you realize that you are allergic to all cherries. 2- forever grateful for a pharmacist (whom shall remain nameless) who is one message away to tell me max doses. 3- i need to learn how to call their 911 and figure out ER stuff just in case. 3- words in german i think are just made to be hard. I will take a pic of my washing machine.... Of which i still can't operate. My landlord has helped me every load. I am sure he thinks i am a idiot. 4- Bernie is loved here.... Yay Bernie. 5- when you are stressed and ready to give up because your children are acting like wild animals. You are worried the neighbors are
Made about noise so you decide to go for a walk. When you open door a lady is standing there and says she is from downstairs... Ugh my heart dropped. I apologize for noise and she laughs. Her reply "i heard you had kids and would like to have you over to play".... Yay!!! She follows with "i married a american" 6- americans are not
Embraced here. We heard a few scoffs about us walking by. Apparently the german in me does not cover up my american. I feel like i should be wearing flag pants, camo and a cowboy hat. Yeah.
Tomorrow dad goes to work. This should be interesting :)

The Adventure Begins

Hello- I am super late on writing this blog as we are halfway into our adventure. Fortunately I blogged Via FB everyday so I would have all my memories somewhere. Boy oh Boy do I have some. So here begins an Adventure no one in their right mind would attempt. However we never said we were in our right minds.


March 2015 we decided it would be smart to get everyone passports. We had no idea yet how wise that was. We used some money to buy 9 passports. That is not cheap by any means

So while on a date Summer of 2015 I mentioned that maybe we should go ahead and take IIASSA up on their offer and move to Europe for Sabbatical. Robert was of course excited because he adores travelling however the prospect seemed out of reach. However he approached IIASA and they said they may be able to get it to work.

Then this happened

Well we were of course excited about a new Beach bundle but Robert assumed that meant our trip was a no go. I myself feeling rather nervous anyway just decided "oh well"... Well I began thinking and knowing this would be a chance for my family to experience something they may never be able to. I knew Robert wanted to also. So I decided how much harder is 9 kids (including a newborn) in Europe than in North Carolina??? So with much fear I agreed to continue to attempt to make this happen. 

Well Iassa still wanted to work with Robert and make a way. 

The amount of people, time, money and just creativity that went into this endeavor is no short of a miracle. 

To fly a family of 10 (we paid out of pocket for two other seats) to Austria and back if not even a amount I should say. 

Then the itinerary in Europe looked impossible. This is what we were looking at 

Arrive June 5th 

Leave the following Sunday for Rome

come back to Austria for a week

leave for Montpelier

Take a family vacation to Paris 

London 

Back to Austria.........

So that is a huge amount of complications. How in the world we will move around Europe?? Eurail... nope that is way too expensive ( in the end though it would have been cheaper). Where to stay ( complications we never expected coming in the future) also how to manage all these kids on all these trips. However in Beach family style we decided we could do this. We go this and nothing can ever stop us. We suffer from a form of positivism that may be dangerous. 

The planning begins. We can't do Eurail so we shall rent two vans... WOW so I bough car seats for planes and vans. 

The boys loved when they came. They spent a lot of time in them in Europe however at first they loved them 

So the trip was rapidly approaching but I also had some very important other things to tend to. On March 28th 2016 exactly 20 years from my first birth. I gave birth to the beautiful Clara Lynn. I named her after my Great Great grandmother Clara Lambert. I would never have any idea how much this would mean. As I was newly pregnant at my grandfather's funeral I looked next to his grave and saw my great great grandma's grave. Her name was Clara and my heart just knew this new baby would be Clara. 

Clara was welcomed into the love of her siblings and friends. She is a blessing and has already a amazing circle of little friends to grow with. We are so glad for her and from the start she has been a sweet natured blessing 

So the planning continues. I start lists. I love lists I make files of to dos, files of packing, files of loose ends to tend to. I start a group called  The Beach Family Zoo and ask friends to sign up to care for what we have which is a zoo. Shockingly every single pet has found a place to hang out while we are gone. I cannot imagine anyone understanding how shocked I am about my community and how they have cared for us. 

Then I am worried because I still have my house and dogs (except Spencer he went with another friends for manners class) . My dogs do not travel well and I have a giant yard and a giant house I can't leave for 4 months alone. So a friend messages me because her kids would like to experience life on their own. I have known these kids since they were little. I was so excited and still am knowing these kids (really adults) who have been in my house for years are there caring for it while we are gone. That is a huge blessing. 

So the planning continues and the packing. Again my amazing friends  have provided in every way. I say I need one more suitcase and 6 are on my porch when I get home. I am worried about managing airline stuff and two friends who work for airlines help me. One helps with my seats as she and her family work for American airlines. 

So seats are ready (ugh except we got changed before we boarded grrr). 

Next is medications as the big worry I have is matthew. His multiple food allergies and scary reactions take me to a place of fear. We went to Duke in December and he was diagnosed with EOE ( read more here http://www.gikids.org/content/5/en/eosinophilic-esophagitis ) In Decmeber his numbers were virtually unknown to be so high (via endoscopy). So Dr Boruta and I set up a treatment plan and we hoped and prayed it would help. We went to his January Appt and decided since we were going to Europe in June to do a edoscopy early to make sure his treatment is helping. Another stressful worry filled morning of my little guy being put under general and having an endoscopy. Dr Boruta came out and said all the furrowing, blisters and puss were gone. We awaited the pathology reports for a better picture of his progress. Well a few days later a excited Dr Boruta called me herself. She was in shock that just in a short time all of his meds have made his EOE cells go from 100ppm to virtually 0. So she approved him to travel and continue meds. Then the other battle began. How in the world am I gonna transport cases of medication to Austria. Then I found out the strict rules there for medications. I had a virtual breakdown. However I took to the google. Research found me a pediatrician from Vienna that studied at Harvard. She is a fellow for the AAP and a pulmunologist (which is good for EMily), Then I found out she worked with the original founder of EOE. So I decided to message her and she agreed to work with my medical teams in America and take us on as a patient in Austria. PHEW..... Another door opened. 

So I got his meds 

As you can see there are A LOT of meds!!! 

So commence the planning and the packing. The nights awake worrying, Everything however just is falling into place (after my initial panics). 

Suitcases show up 

And fill up!!! 

Time is approaching friends throw us a going away party 

I pack pack pack. Two days before Leave we do a marathon Ballet recital where my kids were in 27 dances. It was amazing and I am so proud of them all 

I am sorta exhausted writing this and this is only the weekend before we left. 

Well we survived dance. I am pretty much packed for 11 people and Europe for 4 months. ANimals distributed and all animals and home distributed to care takers. PHEW!! It was a lot of work. All while dad is also finishing up loose ends with work. Setting up sabbatical leave, getting housing, basically planning 7 separate trips of a life time and trying to stay afloat at his work while setting up work with another agency....... Yeah can you believe we made it this far without quitting. I sorta can't now. We certainly are crazy. 

The day came and sadness filled. However Friends came to see us off, load and unload cars, drive cars, make us cry.  

OH YEAH!!! Back track one day before we leave.... Ashley falls the day before at dance and is still in pain. What can we do we leave in a day..... So off to urgent care on a Sunday 

YUP!! Classic Ashley style. She sprained her wrist. I lost count how many times. However the urgent care splinted it gave us a plan and we could call from Europe for xray results. 

Well cars are loaded tears are being shed, However we still press on. I drive to RDU often however this was a hard trip. Knowing we would not see our friends, home, pets and city for a very long time. 

This sign I pass daily held great importance for us. It meant the beginning of a unknown adventure. 

The last ride in Walter till October. We miss you Walter. 

We get to RDU and park the cars. Friends help us unload the pile. We are worried that we exceeded baggage and weight limits. Shockingly we did not. Look at that pile that my friends is a miracle. 

So 12 people, three strollers, two carry ons a piece and we are checked. For some reason TSA told us to skip security and waved us on through. Off we go. Mind you most of the kids have never flown before so there was so much anxiety and fear in this group it is hard to understand. 

So that is day one and pre planning of this crazy idea. It all seemed to go well and as shocking as it still is to me we made it on our way across the pond. 

Next blog will be adventures in Arrival.