I realized not too long ago it’s been four months since I’ve touched this blog. It’s not that there haven’t been things to write about because there have been. I realized my blog hiatus corresponds with my social media hiatus. I don’t feel like I lived on the internet. But, at some point, it still started to feel more overwhelming than satisfying, and it’s been nice to get out of the digital world and back into my actual reality.
With that in mind, I decided to refresh the blog with a little life update! So, here’s what we’ve been up to for the past few months.
Travel, travel, travel!
After my mom’s visit in December, we essentially hunkered down for January and February. New Year’s Eve was pretty low-key for us this year, and after that, it was just work and surviving the cold and dark that is January and February. But in March, we took our first trip of the 2025 season back to…
The Netherlands
It felt so nice to be back! After six years in Groningen, the Netherlands will never not feel like home. And surprisingly, I could still understand quite a bit of Dutch, which was great because we were there for our first Dutch wedding! The bride and I worked together at my first job but have stayed friends since. Two others from that job also attended, so it was nice to have a small reunion.
One benefit of the country being so small is that we were also able to pop up to Groningen for a few hours and on market day, nonetheless! We stocked up on spices, ate cheese and droge worst, and got nostalgic. It was great. After, we were off to Zwolle for another friend reunion. So, all in all, great trip!
Lucky for me, I’ve just returned from a second trip to the Netherlands, but this time for work! My colleague and I spent a week working with cuckoos in the ornithology collection at Naturalis, the biodiversity museum in Leiden. This place is incredible, and if you find yourself in the Leiden/Amsterdam area, I would highly recommend it. It was certainly a unique week of work!
London
Next up, our (sort-of) annual trip to London to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins! London is a city that never gets old for us (I’ve raved about it here and here). This trip, we ate. A lot. English breakfast, Sunday roast, Indian food for dinner. I wasn’t sad about it.
We also did other things, like the Docklands Museum (we ran out of time and need to go back!), the Postal Museum and Mail Rail (an underground built specifically to transport mail! Anyone who says it’s “just for kids” is no fun), and The Play That Goes Wrong (if you’re into a silly slapstick play, this is for you!).
Oh, and we went to the Black Dog. If you know, you know. 😬
As always, London was a great trip made even better by the company!
USA
We also traveled to the US in April for a quick two-week trip (more on why later). Since it was so fast, we didn’t do much beyond spending time with family, but that was the whole point of the trip!
We generally like to go home for at least three weeks, since we can go so infrequently. This time, we had to keep it short because…
Shane got a grant and is currently in Colombia!
It’s kind of hard to believe, but we’ve been in Munich (well, sort of) since 2020, meaning that Shane’s nearing the end of his postdoc time. Between covid lockdowns and Ecuador, five years have really flown. But he’s looking into the next career step, and the first move was acquiring some project funding for his own work in Colombia! So, now, he’s at a research station for a couple of weeks to set up a project that will run for the next six-ish months.
I’m only a lot bit jealous to not be there with him, living his best life running through the forest catching butterflies. Plus, we had such a positive experience in Ecuador with the people, the culture, and the language. We’ve both been itching to get back to South America. I originally planned to go with him, at least for part of the trip. But, our plans changed a bit, which brings me to, without a doubt, our biggest news…
We’re having a baby!
Baby Wright is due at the end of August 2025!
So far, pregnancy has been nothing that I thought it would be. I’ve always been on the fence about kids, but we decided last year to give it a go and see where life takes us, and I’m happy to say that I’ve had no regrets since. I also expected the worst out of pregnancy; people love to tell you horror stories about fatigue, morning sickness, insert random ass symptom you’ve never heard of. Luckily, I’ve had none of that, and it’s been quite smooth. I think once it’s over and baby is here, I’ll write more about my overall experience, but for now, I really can’t complain.
Oh, and no. We don’t know the sex. It’s a surprise! 😀
So, if the blog is a bit quiet in the coming months, now you know why. Except for a trip to nearby Füssen in July (Shane is running a marathon!), we plan on staying put and enjoying the calm before the new-baby storm. Plus, in September, all our family will visit (we are THRILLED!), and it’s baby’s first Oktoberfest (😜🍻).
Exciting things to come!
Tschüss,
The Shwits 