The Ooh La La House

Upon entering our permanent residence here in Vilnius for the first time, Evie immediately made her impression clear. "Ooh la la!" she exclaimed, then pulled off her dinosaur rain boots and began running around in socks. From that moment, our home in Lithuania has been dubbed "The Ooh La La House," and every day it feels a like more fitting description. A few rugs, a pair of couch covers, and, as of today, some pictures on the walls, and this place has quickly become a sanctuary for the Roaming Reynolds.

The Ooh La La House sits on a short, quiet block which is bookended by an entrance to the park and a small grocery store. When you come to visit - which I know you will! - you'll walk up the front stairs toward our beautiful white facade into the community entry way. The house is comprised of three apartments, and ours takes up the entire first floor, arranged in a U-shape.

You'll come in through the door to your left, and immediately be sniffed by Moki and Kiro, who are always waiting to greet us, particularly if they have done something bad. (Kiro somehow thinks we haven't picked up on his distraction technique over the past 7 years.) You'll walk into our family living area - a long, open room broken up by furniture into a kids play area (which is to say, where the toys get put away by Mommy every night), the sitting/tv area, and the dining area.

There's one special feature that I especially adore. Nick is a master at executing any brilliant idea I cook up (read: find on the internet), so when I decided that, like so many other Foreign Service dining chairs, ours too needed to be child-proofed, he was on it faster than Zoe can rip out my nose ring. Water-proofed and covered with a new fabric from Ikea (because who doesn't love Ikea), our dining set has been brought into the 21st century.

A door at the end of the dining area will lead you into our kitchen - and what a kitchen it is! We have a rare full-sized refrigerator, two ovens, a dishwasher (*angel choir noises*), and yes, even a wine fridge (BYOB, but you can pick up wine at the shop on our block). Attached to the kitchen is our washer/dryer/dog feeding room, and the back wall of the kitchen is a complicated sliding door onto the deck which leads into our small but well-maintained yard.

When you make a right off the dining area, which you will because you'll be jetlagged, you'll pass a half bath on your right, then come to the end of the short back hallway connecting - as I like to call them - the East and West Wings (think the Eggs from The Great Gatsby, not the White House).

On your left is the master bedroom, complete with en suite and his and hers sinks, thank you very much. Immediately in front of you is the kids' room, which they delight in sharing. You will no doubt want to turn right, however, and make toward the end of the West Corridor.

At the far end of the hall are three doors. The closed door in front of you is a closet we've converted into an office. The door next to it on your right leads back into the community entryway. The door to your left - now that's the one you've been waiting to pass through since partway over the Atlantic Ocean!






Walk through the door to your left and find two twin beds, two dressers, a tv, some lovely full-length windows letting in tons of natural light (and also fitted with black-out shades) and a tv with an Amazon Firestick. Now - NOW - you can finally sleep lying down!

Have a good rest, and when you awaken, we'll begin our adventures (and give you the wi-fi password). A day trip to Trakai Castle? A weekend in Klaipeda? Maybe just a nice jog in Vingus Park? Whatever your plans, they all begin here... at The Ooh La La House.