The Royal Guard Incident

Remember I said we went to see the guards at the queen's castle?

I had this picture in my mind of Nicky standing up next to the guard all cute while I took a lovely snap shot. His daddy was one of the Queen's Guard, and yes, he did wear the nutcracker outfit. No, unfortunately, I don't have pictures. :-( His Mom said she did though. We shall see if I can procure one.

Well the adorable picture in my mind wasn't quite the way it went down.

We parked and walked to Amalienborg. Nicky seemed happy enough until his Daddy took him over to stand near the guard.



Note the look of pure terror and the clinging to his father's hand. He did NOT want to be put down near the strange man with the grumpy look on his face and the giant furry head. After three attempts to make him sit down on the ground (I dunno why hubby thought that was a good idea), this is what took place.


You might notice that Nicky seems blurry... That would be because he was sprinting away from the guard as fast as his tiny little feet would carry him! Poor baby!

So I grabbed him and snuggled him and turned around to see my husband. (Yes, sweetie, of course I'm going to mention this.) As I said my husband was one of these guards. He was in fact a Sargent so he got to boss these guys around. Well when I turn around, I see my husband with his feet shoulder width apart, shoulders squared, and hands clasped behind his back, a la Sargent surveying his men. I guess watching this guy must have set off something that had been drilled into his brain. Of course, I have teased him mercilessly about it ever since.

I didn't get my dream shot, but maybe next time we go visit. He's still pretty darn cute!

We're Home!

It wasn't bad at all!

*looks to the heavens* Thanks for that!!!

First we went to check in and the guy at the check-in desk told us that "someone" (I'm guessing the woman in Atlanta) made Bryon's a paper ticket and attached an infant in lap to him, but didn't give us a paper ticket... I was like ohhhhh great this is gonna SUCK again! But Alan, who is absolutely wonderful and deserves a raise, fixed it all for us and got us our paper tickets for Bryon and walked them to the gate so we didn't have to stand in line at the information desk.

Nicky slept the first five hours of the nine hour flight. Then was pretty good after that. He did get darn antsy in the last two hours or so, but ,jeez, who wouldn't! Then we got close to Atlanta and, ye gods, they said there was bad weather in the area. I saw a replay of last time running through my mind, but the pilot landed wonderfully despite some ridiculous turbulence.

I have to say there is something BEAUTIFUL about the way the customs and passport checks are done at the Atlanta airport. I've never seen anything go so smoothly. Even when we had to go through the actual customs area, because I checked yes to "Have you handled live animals" and "Are you bringing food." Bryon brought home several bottles of condiments we don't have here, and I loaded up on European chocolate. The animals were because of the goats at the zoo we played with. Yes, neither of those are a great threat to national security, but why lie about them? We got Bryon's shoes decontaminated, and I gave the one sandal Nicky was wearing that day that he didn't lose on the plane to the guy to throw out. No reason to keep it since the other one was lost forever. Of course the food didn't matter at all. They only care about produce and meat and stuff.

So we got to our plane just as they were letting people on and we got on like second. There was a line of 20 planes to take off before us, but that wasn't a big deal. Two kids were flying to see their Daddy in Fort Smith so the flight attendant was taking care of them. Nicky played peek-a-boo with them and talked to them. They were so sweet and had such wonderful manners. A giant way to go to their mom and dad! It's good to know that people still teach their kiddos how to behave in a world where I've seen sooo many misbehaving to an extent that is just disturbing.

We got to XNA fine. One of our bags was missing, and I had to stand in line to do the claim. That wasn't a big deal, but there was an old punk behind me. There was a ground stop on flights out of XNA because of weather somewhere, and apparently the guy behind me was mad because his flight was going to be late. Well while I was waiting there Bryon was trying to keep Nicky happy, and it had been a very long day for him so he was fussing. Okay, at one point he was more than fussing he let loose a scream, but when he did Bryon took him away and calmed him down. Well the punk behind me actually shouted "hush" at my baby. It took all my patience to not turn around and smack him. The guy with him told him to hush though so that was good. Good thing Bryon didn't hear him or there would have been words. I mean you just don't do that. It's not like he'd been standing there letting him scream for five minutes. We'd just walked up. Well anyway, a big old, GROW UP to that old punk! I took great pleasure in the fact that he just had to get the people to get his luggage off the plane because he was SO important and he was just going to drive and couldn't wait an hour, then two minutes later the ground stop lifted and his plane was boarding. *evil giggle*

Nicholai isn't used to the time change yet so we kept me up from 1:30 to 6 this morning. That's okay I got most of the laundry and all the shopping done.

Bryon went and picked up the puppies this morning! Yay! I missed them. I missed the cat too of course, but she was here when we got here and has been cuddling ever since. Fippy, who is a demon puppy, was a perfect angel. He played and was very good despite his bad puppy tendencies. Ninka on the other hand was a baaaaaaaaad puppy. She dug out of the cage every time they put her in it. She even tried it inside! But they kept her safe so that's all good. I'm sorry she was such a pain! There was also a pleasant surprise with the bill. It was 120 less than I thought it'd be! Yay!

So that's the long and short of it! We're home ! We survived! Wooters!

On the road again!

We are heading back to the great state of Arkansas tommorrow. I'm too tried now to write much, but I must remember to tell the story of what happened when we went to Amalienborg today! It was terribly amusing! Well I'm off to bed! Wish me luck!

Castles, Shoping, and Pizza Sandwiches! Oh my!

Today we went into the city. Bryon's parents had to go to Fyn to a funeral so we took Nicky on the Metro. He of course thought it was terribly amusing. We'd already been on it with him once, but this time was just as fun.

We got off at one station and walked through Kongens Have (the King's Gardens) and took pictures in front of Rosenborg Slot. It's the castle where Bryon lived when he was in the Queen's Guard. Well he didn't actually live in it, but in another castle right beside it. If you've ever seen the Prince and I, that's the castle that the royal family supposedly lives in. In truth it's not, Amalienborg is where the family lives, but this castle is much more fairytale-princess-like. The royal jewels are housed there, but we didn't go inside. I've already seen them, Bryon has guarded them, and really I just don't think Nicky would care. :-) He was terribly impressed by the ducks outside in the moat though.

After that we went and had Pizza sandwiches in a restaraunt that was our favorite when we lived here. It had been sold but the recipes were the same. It was yummy!

Then we walked back to the strade, which is a big long street for nothing but people walking that has tons of shops. Pretty soon we had to come home though, because Nicky was getting chilly. It rained on and off all day.

Yesterday we took a boat tour through the canals. That was fun. Nicky liked most of it. He's a big fan of boats, but he did get tired of it after about half an hour and the trip was a whole hour. It could have gone better, but oh well. It was pretty.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. We're flying at 11 Thursday morning. I hope that goes well. I'm going to Roedovre Centrum tomorrow to look at several shops. I hope the new Christmas stuff is out from the company I like which I can't currently remember the name of. They make gorgeous ornaments. We shall see. Well I'm tirrrrred so I'm heading to bed.

Obnoxious Toddler Antics

There are several involved here so let me start with the most recent.

We were just up having tea and rum balls. Nicky was sleeping downstairs, and I was listening carefully for him to start crying. Well I heard something, but it wasn't crying. It was a tiny munchkin talking, and I thought, hmm that's odd. So I ran to the stairs, and I see my little boy half asleep crawling up the last step. Now these aren't your usual steps. They are evil, scary steps. I'll have to take a picture and add it later. These steps scare me and I'm 28 years old! Apparently they don't phase my two year old, however. At least he didn't fall, and he went right back to sleep.

That brings me to my next story of toddler angst. We went to Tivoli Gardens today. It's an amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen. He had a blast riding in the miniature cars and miniature planes with his grandmother. Well, we decided to eat at Valhal which is a viking restaurant. Hmm...the next book I'm working on has a viking I wonder if I could call it research... Anyway, my child REFUSED to have anything to do with sitting in his seat and eating his dinner! He would not stop screaming. We actually drove a mother and her two daughters outside! Well I obviously didn't let this go on long, and we ended up having to take turns eating while the other let Nicky run around outside like the little mad man that he is. It was so incredibly embarrassing!

Here is my last complaint. We went to Fredericksborg Castle. It was absolutely gorgeous! There is a lovely baroque garden in the back, and I always say if it's not baroque, don't fix it! I know! I know! I've seen Beauty and the Beast one too many times! My son was absolutely impossible there! He seemed to find it terribly amusing to drag his feet behind him if his daddy and I held his hands. Every single time I took him he only wanted down and if he didn't get down then he screeched like a mad man. Bryon was very sweet. He kept the little demon occupied so that I could see the castle since he'd already seen it.

All and all he's been a very understanding little munchkin, but sometimes he is just downright obnoxious! I think it's those terrible twos!

We also went out with Hector and Nina last night. That was fun. We saw Rush Hour 3! It was hilarious! And we got to see their new apartment, which is lovely and going to be even lovelier because they bought the apartment next door and they're going to knock down a wall to make it into one big one.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Wow, that's a self-absorbed title. hehe But it is my birthday so :p

I got a great present from my best friend!

Today we're going to eat lasagna and friends are coming over for dinner, and I'm having an ice cream cake. Other than that, I dunno what we're up to. Yesterday we went to the zoo and to an adorable little town not far away called Dragoer. All the buildings were OLD and had thatched roofs, and the roads were barely wide enough for one carriage. It was adorable. Nicky's favorite part of the zoo was the petting zoo where he got to cuddle a goat. That just made his day.

Well, I'm off!

Attack of the Killer Swans

We went to a place called Fjord og Baelte yesterday on the island of Fyn. It was a lovely drive. The old farms on Fyn with their adorable thatched roofs were lots of fun to see. The weather was great. It did rain just a bit on the way home, but if it had to rain that was a good time for it. The temparture has been hoovering around 60 degrees most days and getting colder at night.

It was fun. They had porpoises and seals there, and apparently they have the first porpoise of that kind ever born in captivity. It was an itty bitty guy. Pretty darn cute.

Today we had to go to the bank, because apparently the Danes don't want Americans money. No, I don't mean I tried to pay with dollars. I tried to buy things with my visa card, and unless you have a chip and a pin code then they want nothing to do with you. Such a pain! I hadn't brought much cash because I was afraid of losing it. So I was kinda worried, but I just wrote my mother-in-law a check, and she got the cash out for me so we're all good now.

Bryon got a new passport. Well he ordered one anyway, it should be here soon. Yes, by soon I mean soon! It should be done by the latest next tuesday. Why do we have to wait three months again? If we hadn't gotten one while we were here it was looking like we'd have to go to Washington DC to the embassy to get one and that would have been a royal pain in the booty.

So that brings me to the killer swans. They weren't really killer of course, but man are they demanding. We took Nicky to the Damhus Lake and let him feed the swans. OMG he had the BEST time! He was laughing his little head off at them, but I was afraid a few times that he might try to feed them from his fingers and get nipped. He didn't though. We're definitely taking him again soon.

It could have been even worse...

Our last flight from Dublin to Copenhagen was with SAS. Apparently the day we took the flights from hell a SAS plane (not the first one this has happened to) crash landed. There is something about the landing gear that is made wrong, and they collapse on landing... So now all SAS planes are grounded. Yeahh... I could have been stuck. Which might not have been that bad except that given the previous trip circumstances probably would have meant I was trapped in the airport staring out the windows like a puppy with its nose to the glass at Ireland for like a day or something and never actually getting to go out into Dublin.

Anyway it's been lovely since we got here. We got our bags the day I wrote my last blog. So despite the fact that they all had to be washed because some dog peed on mine and Bryon's was soaking wet, we do now have clean clothes. I don't know how the heck a dog peed on my bag! I am SURE it didnt happen before we left the house, but knowing my conniving puppies I could be wrong... UGH. Anyway they've all been washed now.

Yesterday, we went on a little trip to North Zealand. We walked on the beach of the fjord with Nicky. There are no waves there, but he was very impressed by the water, and we went to a cute little harbor where I somehow managed to fall in a hole and turn my ankle. Still hurts like heck, but I'll survive. I'm just 10 for 10 on this trip, lemmie tell ya!

Wow, I sound bitter! I really have had a nice couple of days though. I just hope the universe stops taking a leak on me soon...

It could have gone one of three ways...

A. The plane trip could have been much better than I thought it would be, and I would have been ecstatic and relieved.
B. It could have been just the same I thought it would be, and I wouldn't have been surprised.
C. It could have been worse than anything I imagined...

The answer, my friends, to how our trip went was a big whooping C!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I wouldn't survive! Honestly!

First we got on the plane in Fayetteville on the way to Atlanta. The take off was somewhat difficult, because you can't have electronic devices turned on, and the only thing that really distracted him was the iPod! Thanks, Mommy! It was a HUGE help at all other times. Once we got in the air it wasn't so bad. We played games had snacks, and he was relatively happy.

Then right before we were supposed to land, the captain came on and said that there was a bad storm over Atlanta, and we were in a holding pattern until it blew over. Okay not so bad. We should still have had time to make our flight. Yay!

Twenty minutes later...

We're running low on gas and still can't land so we get diverted to Birmingham to fill up.

Fine. The piolet says it should only take about 20 minutes then we're back on the way to Atlanta.

So we land and get in line to fill up. Honestly I don't remember how many times he came on and told us we'd we were the next in line for either getting gas or getting a slot to land in Atlanta, but after 3.5 hours on the tarmack in Birminham we were finally allowed to take off again. 30 minutes later we landed in Atlanta. I finally got Nicky to take a nap in the last 20 minutes of that flight...That was a total of about 6 hours on the plane...

So we get to the customer service agent who says we're supposed to be sent to Dublin and then to Copenhagen. Well after being on the flight for 6 hours, we were already exhausted and decided to ask them if we could just wait for the flight the next day that we were supposed to have that day. It goes directly to Copenhagen.

I know the woman was probably stressed because of so many people mad about missing flights and stuff, but OMG. The woman at the Dublin check in desk looked up the flight for us, and told us times and stuff and said we could go down to customer service or call and get the flight changed. Well Bryon wanted to wait in line because he wanted to talk to a real person so after an hour of that with the line moving about 2 inches I said no way and went to call. The person on the other end of the line was very nice and polite and told me that there were no seats left on the one the next day! Oh crap! One night in Atlanta isn't so bad but not two days gone from our vacation. So we RUN down to the Dublin desk and the same lady is there and we tell her the issue. So she gets us two seats with a seat in the middle for Nicky. They are the ones right at the front of economy class so lots of leg room. Woot! Thatøs great. It was the only thing she did right...

Well I've been running around like a mad woman so I haven't changed poor Nicky's diaper in a while, and while we're standing there he pees, and we have an overflow. I catch him and deposit him on hip and tell Bryon to deal with the check in while I go and change his diaper. I get back and the lady is telling Bryon that he is going to have to buy another ticket because we don't have the paper ticket for him. Well for a moment I'm very confused because you know they give you all the different things and God knows what they are all for. Finally I figure out what she is talking about. He never had a paper ticket. His was always electronic. Nicky's and mine was paper because it has to be when you have an Infant in Lap.

Finally with only a little more ruckus we get on the plane.

Nicky would NOT! Go to sleep. I tried everything! The Calms Forte did NOTHING! I had given him a Benedryl because he was stuffy and had a runny nose anyway before we got on. That should have made him sleepy too, but NO!!! He's so incredibly exhausted, but he can't seem to get comfortable and so he cries everytime he starts to fall asleep. I thought I would scream, and I think I actually did cry!

Finally with three hours left I give him some tylenol, and apparently his teeth were hurting him as well because that seems to do the trick along with discovering the perfect position for him to lie in. That position unfortunatly has caused serious damage to my back, but hey... at least he slept!!! For two hours at least. He woke up when they brought breakfast.

I would also like to add to this that I seemed to have developed a 24 hour stomach flu that was set off by flying. I had air sickness for the first time ever.

So we get to Dublin. Let me just say! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I was in Ireland! I mean in it! Past customs and everything! IN IRELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I didn't get to see jack!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway we realized that the woman in Atlanta hadn't given us a boarding pass for the flight to Copenhagn. I think we went to four different desks. The Irish airline respresentatives were lovely and helpful. There names were Claire and Mandy! Thank you, Claire and Mandy! It turns out the woman did everything in Atlanta WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She seperated my and Nicky's ticket somehow, but didn't give us a coupon for it. She took a reciept we were supposed to have that was an *interuption of flight* thing or something. I dunno. Anyway we got it worked out and got there right as the plane was supposed to take off, but it had been delayed. Thank goodness for that.

That flight was the only one that didn't suck. May I say, I love you SAS! Nicky got his own little life vest in case of accident and his own seatbelt that hooked to mine and we were in a window seat for the first time. Aparently looking out the window as we took off did the trip cause he passed right out and slept the whole flight.

So we finally get to Copenhagen and call Bryon's mom and dad. They thought we weren't going to be there until the next day because we told them we were overnighting in Atlanta, but they headed to the airport so they were there almost when we got through processing.

And what happens when they screw up your flight... They lost our bags. They are supposed to find them today, but you know how that goes. Right now I'm wearing two day old socks and a shirt my son peed on, but my mother in law the darling woman that she is bought me a new tshirt and sweater that I'm going to change into as soon as I take a shower. Oh! And undies! I can't tell you how much I look forward to clean undies!!! There is just something wrong about putting a pair of underwear back on after you've already worn them!

So when we finally got here, I got violently ill. Dizzy, throwing up, stomach upset in general, and monster headache! I'm fine today though. I think it was a combination of sleeping 20 minutes in 48 hours and a stomach flu. I thought I would just die. Then when I tried to nap I couldn't. Fortunatly though we slept til 11 this morning with only a two hour interuption at 3am. I guess Nicky wasn't quite on the time yet.

I'm feeling perfectly fine now though, and soon I'm going to be all clean and showered with clean clothes on WOOT! Nicky had some clean ones, because of course his grandmother had bought him a few outfits. hehe

So that was my trip. It was pretty much worse than anything I had ever imagined that it would be, but at least we survived! And next time can't possibly be worse! *beats all nearby wood with a large metal bat*

Hmmm...I seem to be in a Danish version of blogger and it refuses to check my spelling so I expect I spelled lots wrong. I'm sure y'all will forgive me! :-D