Well, folks. There you have it. One year of expat life for Team Coté is now in the books! I know. Shut the front door...how has it been ONE YEAR already?!? I keep asking myself that daily. Time has flown by. F-L-O-W-N BY. It seems like just yesterday that D and were packing our suitcases, saying our goodbyes, and hopping a plane to Germany. Life has changed so much in the last year that it's almost unrecognizable from our life back in the states. Imagine having everything you've ever known, from laws and rules of your country, to simple everyday things like navigating a grocery store become warped into something unfamiliar and, quite frankly, scary.
Moving to a foreign country causes you to have to start over from scratch, like you're an infant learning how to walk or talk or eat or interact with the world around you. It's quite a strange feeling, walking with baby steps and re-learning life. Yet among all the brain rewiring, you still carry on as a family. You still cook dinner and talk about your day. You still go grocery shopping (albeit a bit differently now) and take out the trash. And you still keep up with little traditions and fold the laundry together. Big things change, but the at the heart of it all, you're still you. We're still us.
I'll be the first one to tell you, this whole moving to Europe thing hasn't been a cake walk. We've had our fair share of embarrassments...like the time we were throwing away our food scraps in the wrong trashcan for 7 MONTHS before our landlord kindly told us which one we're supposed to use...and we've dealt with all the stresses of living out of a suitcase for 3 months straight. We've also found out who our true friends are and those who...well, weren't even friends at all. Funny how distance can reveal these things. But I can honestly say, I wouldn't change a darn thing. Through change comes strength, and with strength comes growth. It seems to be the circle of life for our little military family. Besides, among all the changes and trials this move has brought us, we've also gotten to do some pretty wicked cool stuff. I'm talkin' visiting 7 different countries over the course of 12 months kind of cool stuff. Yeah...pinching myself has become obsolete.
While I'm feeling a little nostalgic reliving the past 365 days of Germany in my head, I thought it would be fun to go all David Letterman and make a Top 10 List recounting our favorite memories during our first year living in Germany!
{Oh, and make sure you stick around 'till the end of this post for a little surprise!!}
41 days of uninterrupted hotel living can really start to make a person go crazy. Case and point...hotel room planking. During this time we made a lot of important decisions, like where we were going to live, what we were going to drive, and who was going to the nut house first. David won, contrary to photographic evidence. Boy doesn't do well cooped up in one 12' x 14' room. Precisely why we made it a point to GET OUT and start traveling ASAP!
Celebrating 4 years of wedded bliss in what is, quite possibly, the cutest little German town in the entire world was a breath of fresh air. We finally got to see the rich history and Old-World charm that our new home was so famous for. This was the beginning of our love affair with Germany!
We fell in love with this 1,400 sq ft. slice of German real estate the moment we laid eyes on it. It oozes character (including our German toilet with poop shelf) and has been the perfect fit for our little family since the day we moved in. The apartment gods were smiling upon us, that's for sure! As fun as living in a hotel can be, we were so ready and very thankful to finally have all of our belongings back and put in their own place. Suitcase living complete.

I don't know what we did to deserve such an amazing group of Christian people to call our friends, but I'm thankful for them just the same! They've made our transition to life in Germany much easier, and so much more fun!

We've visited so many fabulous places over the last 12 months, but this still remains to be true...London is my absolute favorite city in the world! No place has yet to compare. The sights, the sounds, the Royal ambiance...I'm getting heart palpitations just thinking about it. Trip of a lifetime, and I can't wait to go back in August!
{You can read more about our trip here, here, and here.}
From the Christmas Markets and Glühwein to decking our halls and making new traditions, our first Christmas in Germany was nothing short of magical. Although we were away from our family and friends for the first time at Christmas, we managed to make the best of it. We even managed to stuff a 7.5 foot Christmas tree into the trunk of our 2-door BMW. How's that for a Christmas miracle?
Hands down one of the coolest things we've ever done. The Alps are insanely beautiful and getting skiing in them was just icing on the cake! We're looking forward to tearing up the slopes again next winter!
{Read more about our ski adventure here, here, and here.}
Seriously, did you think I'd forget about all the fabulous wine? Not possible. Living in what I like to call "Riesling Country" has proved to be more rewarding than not. Drinking our way through the miles and miles of vineyards (or Weinguts) situated along the Rhine River has become one of our favorite past times, not to mention attending the many wine festivals held in our region during various times of the year. Germans never need a reason to throw a party, but wine is an excellent one. We'll be there with bells on.
AND FINALLY...

This is kind of a big deal. 10 of my crazy close family members, 3 countries, 2 weeks. Fun and insanity all wrapped up in the same whirlwind vacation. We. Are. Rockstars. Be looking out for multiple blog posts recapping this unbelievable family feat soon!!
THE END.
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Whew.
Since you've stuck around to the end of this insanely long blog post, I've got a little reward for you! In honor of making it ONE YEAR living in Germany, I've decided to do my first blog giveaway! {YAY YAY YAY!!}
Guys, in all seriousness, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the kind words and prayers each of you laid on us during this exciting chapter of our lives. This little blog of mine has been a nice way to keep family and friends up to speed with our new life in Deutschland, but little did I know it would grow to have a following {100+ and growing!!} of such supportive and uplifting individuals who I've never even met in real life! The blogging community has completely embraced me and made all the picture taking and story-telling of our adventures abroad even more worth while! Thank you, each of you, for clicking on 'We Took the Road Less Traveled' everyday and leaving love. You guys seriously rock my face off!
Now, for the swag! One lucky winner will receive a gift box straight from Deutschland FULL of my favorite products & goodies made in Germany including:
A jar of Nutella (I swear it tastes better here!)
3 bags of German gummie bears (I PROMISE they taste better here!)
Scarf from my favorite accessories store
One nail color, lip gloss, and face mask packet from my favorite beauty kiosk
Mini bottle of blueberry schnapps made by monks in Bavaria (shhh, don't tell customs)
Bottle of Currysauce made in Wiesbaden
One jar of Joghurt Dressing (the traditional salad dressing of Germany)
A bag of Eranuss Piccos (spicy corn chip covered peanuts), my favorite airplane snack
One box of German Spätzle (traditional German egg noodles) with sauce packet
A postcard from Wiesbaden, our current city of residence
A bag of my favorite German butter cookies
Variety of German chocolate bars
Jägerschnitzel sauce packet
AND
A mini 'Das Boot' from Bavaria
{A few items are missing from the photos. Someone...ahem...left them in the car.}
Follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget to enter!
{You must be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect to enter. Not a follower? It's easy to become one! You don't have to have a blogger account to follow. Just look over in the sidebar on the right under the 'Followers' tab (where all the tiny picture are). Click "Join this site" and follow the instructions in the pop-up window. Then you can begin entering the giveaway below. Simple as that!}
{You must be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect to enter. Not a follower? It's easy to become one! You don't have to have a blogger account to follow. Just look over in the sidebar on the right under the 'Followers' tab (where all the tiny picture are). Click "Join this site" and follow the instructions in the pop-up window. Then you can begin entering the giveaway below. Simple as that!}
Giveaway closes on July 2nd at 12:01am.
Winner will be announced on Monday, July 3rd!
Good luck, everyone!!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!