One month in...

Well we have officially been living in Vejle for 1 month and decided it was about time to get this blog started. Hopefully you have seen our photos updates on Facebook up until now. We plan to keep our families and friends updated via the blog and also document this adventure to share with our girls one day. We look forward to sharing the journey with you!

Off to the SFO Airport

Middle row to ourselves!

Bus ride between terminals

First impressions of living in Denmark:

1. Most coffee shops do not open until 10:00am (while living in our apartment for one month with minimal belongings, this was a bit difficult for this momma who needs her caffeine)
2. The roads/pedestrian pathways are VERY organized. Cobblestone for pedestrians, smooth pavement for bikes and a separate area for cars. Do not cross the line, or you may get a bell dinged at you :)
3. Most everyone we have met speaks English really well (except for the kind man who was trying to teach me where we throw away our trash from the apartment - lots of smiling and pointing ensued as we tried to understand each other)
4. CPR numbers (somewhat similar to social security in the US) are VERY important (aka no internet, bus pass, bank account until a number is assigned). After living here a month, we finally have all our ducks in a row.
5. The bread is AMAZING here...I mean who can pass up a fresh slice of bread with Danish butter...apparently I can't and I won't tell you how many I've eaten
6. Most restaurants and public spaces have a play area for kids...its amazing. Kids are taken into account on most everything here!

As of June 3rd, we had officially moved into our apartment located in Vejle. It is approximately 25km east of Billund, the town Lego headquarters is located. The apartment is in a convenient location and so far we are really happy with our choice, especially considering we hadn't seen it before signing the rental contract! Our only complaint is the close vicinity to party central for the high school and college students. It gets a little loud on the weekends.

My moving buddies

Nap time in the new apartment

Resting up at the hotel

Joel has met several coworkers who commute on the bus and has successfully made it work everyday with no issue. We are so grateful for the many generous and helpful people we met in our first week. A fellow California native, Lego employee's wife brought over groceries and other essentials I had not even thought of (like toilet paper!) to our apartment along with a thoughtful "welcome to Denmark" basket. While our kids were running around our empty apartment, our neighbor stopped by to introduce himself. He offered help by way of letting complete strangers (i.e. us) borrow 3 travel mattresses and a kitchen table/chairs to hold us over until our shipment arrives mid-June. I was blown away less than 2 hours after arriving into our new home with all the kind people who came to our door. The following week we were invited to dinner by another couple from the states and enjoyed getting to know a few other expats.

Daddy's 1st day of work

2am snacks, waiting for breakfast

The hardest part of the transition thus far was recovering from jet-lag with two little kids in tow (that and attempting to read Danish manuals for our appliances - thank you Google translate!). 5 days in and we were still having 2am parties with energized kiddos who could not sleep. Our first few days consisted of sleep, meals and a daily walk to get outside. Our first night in the apartment they slept from 8pm-5am! I was feeling quite refreshed and we were able to go on two adventure walks in Vejle. We found a park with beautiful green grass, water feature and play area for the kids. They were once again in their happy place roaming free outside. We came back home to nap and relax before heading out on a second venture to find mommy a good latte. Fortunately in 5 mins, we scored and the latte was warm and delicious. There is a park across the street from our apartment, so we spent the rest of the afternoon there. Again, very happy kids and a happy caffeinated mommy.  

I will recruit Joel to share stories from his first weeks at LEGO soon. To say he loves it, is an understatement. The man is living the dream. He hit the ground running on his first day since his team had a deadline to meet within 2 weeks. It is wonderful to watch him thrive in a role that allows him to be super creative with LEGO. His design brain never stops and I think he's pretty happy about it! 

Well that is all for now...more regular updates to come!

New dining table and dinner with G&G

Exploring Vejle

Bus rides!

Slide fun at the park

Fun in the kitchen cabinets

Meeting a local cow

Hello ducks