Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!

Hello all and Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!
I have gotten a request for shorter but more frequent posts so I will do my best to honor that.

It has been a somewhat crazy December. We started off with lots and lots of snow, we got a couple feet in the beginning and it was absolutely beautiful! I'm truly in a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, the temperatures went from reallllly cold to feeling like spring is on the way and we have a bleek and rainy Christmas instead of a wonderfully white one.

The Ramersbacherstraße going from Ramersbach to Bad Neuenahr- Ahrweiler.

Christmas here has been a little weird. I'm missing all the traditions and spending time with my family, up and down the river, decorating the tree with my mom, her holiday bread, hanging out in Northbrook with my friends, visiting Freddy, and lots more. I never really thought I would be so homesick or miss my family this much but I do. It's nice to hear that I'm being missed on the other side of the pond as well. As a wonderful present, my dad and Katy let me know they booked their flight here to visit me at the end of April so I am very much looking forward to that even though it is crazy far off. 

Nina and Florian were so nice and gave me Florian's old smart phone for Christmas and now I have whatsapp again so communication is more accessible. I am so thankful and it's so nice that they are doing everything they can to make me feel comfortable here. 

The kids have off school for like 3 weeks and they were so excited on Christmas. It was so cute. Bennet's favorite present seems to be a remote control mini lambourghini he got. He has been driving it all over the house. Liv's is hard to tell since she got so many new clothes and little toys. Polly Pocket, Barbie house, Barbie Rapunzel which she really wanted and she also got a big lego Police station that I have been helping her put together. They were so cute opening everything and Bennet put the Bears shirt my mom gave him on right away and wore it the rest of the night. So great to form baby bears fans :)

We went to IKEA last week to get new furniture for Bennet's room which is now finished. He got a new bed and a new closet thing. We painted his walls and they are white and bright green but he loves it. It does look very good. Maybe I'll post a picture next update. 

Anyway, I'm kind of happy that Christmas is over now but I know that New Year's will be really hard since it is a night that has always been spent with close friends. I'm trying to find something fun to do to distract me from the fact that I can't be with any of them this year. Hopefully I will find something to do in Bonn or Köln. If i had a buddy to travel with, I would try to go to Berlin. Apparently it is the place to be in Europe for New years. Unfortunately, I do not and that is not a trip to do alone. 

More later. 

German phrase to learn: Frohe Weihnachten (fro.vi.nack.ten)

It means Merry Christmas :)

Thanksgiving, Lax, and Roma= My November

Sooooo Thanksgiving was a success and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the food. The goose turned out okay although it was so hard to find the meat. I wasn't the biggest fan but the kids really liked it and there was so much other food that it was okay even if you didn't like the meat. 

Cooked goose.

Opa carving the goose.

Garlic bread, glazed carrots, Jan;es gooey potatoes, yummy salad, sweet potato casserole, and not pictured is the corn casserole and the stuffing which were both awesome. So all in all I'd say a successful first Thanksgiving

Christian, Oma who isn't looking, Opa, Me and Florian. 

Oh and the pumpkin pie that I made entirely from scratch. 

Everything else in the everyday has been pretty much the same. I got to go to Göttingen, pretty much 3 hours just straight west of Köln. There was an indoor box lacrosse tournament that I got to play in with the Köln team and it was an absolute blast. It was pretty much a big lock in at the Göttingen sports club with 16 teams from all over Germany. We got there late Friday night and there was a huge party going on there so it was really cool to be there for that. They had a ping pong table and people were playing beer pong which I guess is a pretty uncommon thing for them. That night there were people just sleeping anywhere there was space so that's what I mean by a big lock-in. Saturday the games started at 9 and went all the way to I think 8:30. They alternated between men's and women's and each had 8 teams, one being a pick-up team. So we had 3 games and I played 2 pick-up games...so much lacrosse and so much fun. It was also cool to see how close the men's and women's teams are at Köln in that whenever they were playing, we were watching and vise versa. That night there was a big party at a bar for the whole tournament so we all walked there about a half hour together. It was like lacrosse players on parade which was really cool. I got to meet lots of new people and feel like I had some sort of a social life while being able to play lacrosse so it was a pretty great weekend, with the exception of 2 things. Saturday night I chipped my fake tooth on a beer bottle that some girl accidentally hit me with so that really sucks. 

Sunday we got up and had the semi finals and won that then the finals against Stuttgart who I guess usually beats us. We won! We won the whole tournament and then went upstairs to watch the guys who were in the men's finals and eat pizza that they had ordered for us. They won and we ran downstairs and everyone was singing viva Colonia and it was all very exciting. There was a short awards ceremony where they got a giant bottle of beer and we got a giant bottle of Champagne and had a shower party, which is exactly what it sounds like. European style so it was a little weird for me. When we were packing up to leave I realized that my iphone, which I had barely taken out of my bag all weekend was gone and still is. I'm really bummed that happened. 

This is a team photo of all of us after the guys won. So fun!

Last weekend (well, Thursday to Monday) I went to Rome. I got to see friends from DePaul and explore a new city, both of which were great. The food was unreal, of course. The first night we went and got a couple drinks and made it to one of Steve's favorite pizzerias. Then we went out in Trastevere and it was just like going out in a college town but it was in Italy. Most of the kids there were Americans studying abroad so it was cool to meet all Steve's friends but also not very Italian. 

There is a chocolate bar somewhere near there and we went and got chocolate shots which was really cool. It was some sort of chocolate lacquer and alcohol mixture in a shot glass made of chocolate topped with whipped cream. It was very interesting. 

The next day we got up and walked around for a bit, found a great little place to get a delicious lunch that looked like someone's kitchen. I had some sort of spaghetti with eggplant and ricotta cheese and tomatoes, delicious. 

We met up with Steve and went on a walk, ended up in Villa Borghese which is a big beautiful park. We got to hang out there for a while and see the sunset which was very cool. After that we walked to the Spanish Steps and down what I would call the Champs Elysee of Rome. We ended up at a wonderful restaurant near Piazza Navonna and had some delicious bruscetta and this pear pasta. For dinner there I had a creamy shrimp risotto that was awesome. We went out that night to a few bars and after much of the debauchery had already gone down, Tommy and I followed his twin friends from home to the Pantheon and we saw that by night. This was a preface for the rest of the trip and how much late night sight seeing we would do, regardless of crazy downpour. 

All 5 of us on the Spanish Steps. Me, Emma, Steve, Tommy, and Emma

The next day Tommy and I got up and go tout the hostel, we walked to find something to eat and then to find the Vatican. We walked through the museum and I was amazed at all the art. Not realllllly my style but still breathtaking and wonderful to see first hand after learning about all the paintings in art classes. We then met up with Steve and his friends and walked to St. Peter's Square and got pulled into this crazy Italian dance with all these silly Italians. It was pretty hilarious and we were all laughing the entire time. We then walked around a bit more, saw some more cool stuff and made our way to the Trevi Fountain. On the way we stopped at St. Ignatius church and that was cool to see the famous painting ont he ceiling there as well. 

Trevi Fountain

Then we walked to dinner for the best pizza of my life. It was crazy to wait for a table there because it was super busy and there was a mob outside the door. The guy would open the door and people would just yell how many they had. 

Best pizza I've ever eaten from Pizzeria Baffeto. So good. 

We went out that night to a great Irish bar and watched the Georgia vs. Alabama game which was fun. I haven't gotten to watch football since I've been in Europe so I was happy all the guys wanted to watch and we made it happen. We then made the trip to the Colosseum with a bottle of red wine and that was awesome. Afterwards apparently Tommy and the twins and I weren't tired and went back tot he Trevi fountain which was really cool because it was about 4am and there was no one there. 

Colosseum at night.

The next day we woke up late and Salvador, the man who ran the hostel, was banging on our door basically telling us we needed to get out and I hopped in the shower very fast and he turned the water off on me while I still had shampoo in my hair so that was a very unpleasant way to start the day. It was unnecessary as they didn't even start cleaning or anything when we got out. 

We went to a place for lunch close by and it was UNREAL. We had 2 different kinds of bruscetta, one caprese and one truffle and they were both absolutely amazing. We also got pastas and Katie got risotto. Following was some great tirimisu. This was probably my favorite meal there. 

Probably the best lunch I've ever eaten. Dont worry, not all three are mine. 

That day we walked around, went to Campo d'Fiori and there was a farmer's market with spices and oils and things which was cool. We walked around cute little streets until we reached Piazza Vittorio which was a lot of steps up to a wonderful view of the city. Did some more walking around and went back tot he piazza to watch the sunset from there which was awesome. Katie and Emma had to go catch their train and Tommy Steve and I went back to the Irish pub to watch the Bears who unfortunately lost. 

I left the next afternoon. 

It was a wonderful weekend with friends, great sights, amazing food, and fun times. Despite all the rain we got stuck in every night it was such a great time and I'm so happy that I went. 

Ciao!

Nothing says creepy like fog in a cemetery.

Hello Everyone!
I know I start almost every post like this but, it's been a while.

The beginning of November has flown by and I can't believe that this week is Thanksgiving.
Halloween was interesting. We went trick or treating with the kids and drank sekt. It is not as big of a deal here at all. When we went out, no one was dressed up or anything, it was so sad. Bennet was a mummy and Liv was a witch.

I have decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner which will be stressful but nice that I can bring a truly American holiday into the lives of people here. There will be 10 people including myself and all the kiddos. Nina will unfortunately be out of town in Moscow for work but it will be Florian, Liv, Bennet, Oma, Opa, Anja, Chriatian, and their kids Ian and Aiden. I'm making lots of food and probably starting on Tuesday and if not then definitely on Wednesday.
I'm sad that I won't be with my family but it seems that everyone has missed it at least one year so I guess this year is mine. I just hope that I can do the recipes Jane sent me justice without her help :)

A first that happened a while ago was that Nina and I made sushi for dinner one night. We made so much and it was so yummy. I had never made sushi but it was so fun! We had all different kinds and although the kids weren't crazy about it, we enjoyed it. Here's the spread

Last weekend was busy, Friday night was a Ramersbach Kirmis Disco. It's  party at the old school and they basically try and turn it into a club of some sort. It was weird that the entire town basically was there. Also pretty funny. I met some new people and even though I felt pretty awkward at the beginning, it was a fun night and ended with lots of dancing and silliness. 

Then Saturday night it was the St. Martin celebration here. The kids make lanterns and then go to the church for a little service and to hear the story of St. Martin, which of course was in German and lost on me. Then we went outside, got some glühwein and walked around the village following a marching band. We stopped at this big field where there was a GIANT fire, I dont remember the meaning of the fire but it was the biggest bon fire I have ever seen. It was a fun night for the kids to run around, eat sweets and show off their lanterns. Bennet let me walk with his old one :)

Sunday I woke up early and got ready with a costume from Josee last year at Karneval and went to Köln for the 11.11 celebration of Karneval. I went down alone and met up with 2 girls from the lacrosse team and it was a fun day. The train there was so funny. Since there is no open container law here the train was quite literally, a party train. I was the only one not drinking and people were all in costumes and drunkenly singing Karneval songs and it was so funny. I made a few friends who were dressed up as the Haribo bears and we talked about Obama. When people find out I'm from America that's all they seem to know what to talk to me about. I met some new people and heard all the silly German karneval songs and it was just a funny day. Someone said to me while we were at the bar that I better start drinking more because the songs were not going to get better. She was right. The whole day they played these Karneval songs. We danced and drank the whole afternoon and started conga lines through the bar and it was a good time. I'm so grateful that I was able to go and meet up with them. 

Cookie Monster, Tiger, Tropical Island....

So I'm still going to Lacrosse once a week and have really enjoyed it. i wish we were closer so I could go to every practice. I got my stick in the mail and took Bennet out to play catch. 

I think he had fun till he got hit in the stomach and started crying so we went home. I felt really bad so I  told him a few stories about lacrosse injuries I had endured....including the one when I chipped my tooth playing at Nebraska. 

The commute to practice is long but I honestly don't mind it except that it's not cheap and it will add up to a lot by the end of the year. I just consider it a small price to pay for the comfort and familiarity and outlet for social interaction with peers. It feels like commuting at home though so it gives me time to read and stare out the window with music in my ears. Plus the Köln hauptbahnhof has a Dunkin Donuts so I get a bagel and some coffee before practice. It's the only place in Germany that has bagels I think haha. The views are also very pretty on the travel there when the sun is setting. 

I've had some really beautiful runs through the woods recently. I decided to bring my phone every once in a while so that I can snap pictures. When I look back in a few years these will probably be the prettiest runs I will ever go on so I feel that it's a great idea to capture some of it. 

Plus you can kinda see how steep that hill is that I run up. 

Friday was a lot of fun. The dance groups all went to Dagernova winery in Dernau for a wine tasting and dinner. I met a couple girls my age who live in Ramersbach and seem like a lot of fun which was really unexpected. Afterwards we went to the Halfen Hof and I got probably a little too drunk but it was a really great time and nice to hang out with people there too, even if most of them were still teenagers.... I'm getting over that, except when they call me old. 

This is me and Nina at Dagernova

Today I have been studying for the GRE, math is kicking my ass and for study breaks watching Weeds, which probably negates the brain power I'm earning while studying. It has been so gloomy and SO foggy all day that I had to go for a walk and take some artsy photos. For some reason things just look cool with a bit of fog. I went to the graveyard near the house and got some great ones there...nothing says creepy like fog in a cemetery. 

Fast Week

I just got back from a really challenging run. I think that I have finally memorized one route through the woods but unfortunately, it's the hardest one. It starts out going downhill to get out of Ramersbach, then once I get to the woods, it's flat and curvy, then I turn off one path and onto another where there is ALWAYS a giant mud pit (that's how I know it). From there it goes straight uphill, around a bend and uphill some more. I have to stop at least two or three times and rest because trying to sprint up it is such a challenge. My goal will be to be able to go up it without stopping. Then after all that, it flattens out to go around the side of the hill and out of the woods. Once I'm out, it goes uphill more, a lot less steep but still uphill. It's rough. It takes me about a half hour with stops but it's hard work. The flat parts were really nice today because the paths through the woods were covered with multi colored leaves. It was like I was running through a sea of red leaves and in the breaks between songs, I could hear nothing but the crunch between my feet and my breath. It was also very cool on the uphill the way that the sun was shining through the trees. If only I could bring my camera with me on these runs. It's always so beautiful. Very muddy today though and spots of snow....I was in shorts, oops. 

This week went by pretty fast. I don't even remember Monday, Tuesday I drove the kids to school and then went to Kamps and got a coffee cake and cappuccino and sat and read for a while. Oma was out of town in Berlin to visit her other grandkids so I had the kids for lunch and homework everyday. Tuesday night was Lacrosse and it was great. I came home with a black eye. Not very big but definitely there. It was nice though, there were a few other new and foreign girls there and they were very nice. I got to know some more people and they invited me to come hang out in Köln with them and go out and whatnot. I will probably get to know them a little better since me going out in Köln requires me sleeping there since it's so far. Anyway, it was really nice to feel like I'm making friends a little (finally after 2 months?). 

Cool picture of the Dom in Köln on Tuesday. 

Tina left for home so I'm friendless again. It's kind of exciting because now it's really up to me to see if I can do it but I'm starting to feel like I did the first couple months at Nebraska which was expected but still hard. 

Wednesday was Liv's 6th birthday so we woke up early and she had candles to blow out in her room with all her presents. I made her Nutella and Banana stuffed french toast and then Nina and I drove the kids to school. We cleaned out Liv's clothes which was good because she had wayyyy too many. Anja and her kids, Ian and Aiden and Opa came over for birthday cake and coffee. 

Family party. 

I had LaBoom later with Anja and we got sizes for costumes. They are 80's themed and will be pretty funny but it's right up my alley. 

Thursday I had German class and I avoided Carlos pretty well but had to sit next to his friend Antonio who smells like cat pee...gross. 

Friday was a pretty good day. It was gross and rainy all day but I did a pretty great workout and had fun with the kids. I got to chat with Iani and went to Bonn and had dinner at Vapiano with an old Culver friend. She was like my little German sister at camp my 1st class year and now she's 19 and in college! So crazy how Culver always finds it's way back into our lives. Anyway, she's at school in Bonn and invited me to go hangout with her and also to go to Düsseldorf with her (where she's from) to see it. 

Yesterday was Liv's birthday party which was nice. She had a lot of fun and it was Halloween themed so obviously she was a princess. We made leaf modge podge jars with all the kids and I think they all had fun. 

Liv before her birthday party all dressed up. 

The weather is getting colder and I think this week for Halloween there will be some parties and times to go out which would be fun. I hope it doesn't get too cold!

Great week so far.

It's been a pretty great week so far.
I got a Halloween card from Mrs. Silverman :) Thanks!
The kids and I have been reading the Winne the Pooh book my mom sent me and they seem to like it so that's nice.
Monday Nina and Florian were both at work pretty late so I cooked dinner which was fun. It made me feel like Mrs. Doubtfire kinda...only I didn't burn my boobs.
I finalllly got to skype with both Colleen and Natalie on Monday which was really nice. Tuesday I got to go to Köln and practice with the Women's Club Lacrosse team there. I'm still sore from it but it was so fun to play again and although it was QUITE the commute, it felt so great to be in a realm that was so comfortable to me. THe coach is American so all the girls speak English, some stringer than others but it's nice. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly and curious about me. Of course I miss my DePaul team, I love the sport so much so it just was so great to get out there. The train ride home I was almost giddy. Florian asked me the next morning if it was worth the long commute and I felt uncomfortable because it ABSOLUTELY was for me but I have no words to explain that to him. The team practices 3 times a week but I'd like to try to make it every Tuesday. We'll see how that works out.

When I get back it was really late and I had made a date to hangout with Mags and Katy so we did and it was really great as well. We giggled a lot and caught up on lives and whatnot. It was really nice. 

Yesterday was a very fall day. It was great. The kids and I carved pumpkins, one of my favorite fall activities. Liv was all about scooping out the guts and picking out the seeds and by the time we actually got to carve faces in them she was covered in pumpkin guys and I think loved every minute of it. Bennet was the exact opposite. He hated the smell so much so that he had to open the door aaaaaand light a candle. He refused to touch the inside of the pumpkin and instead just watched us and fed us his snack of choice, marshmallows. That got out of hand quickly and i had to put a stop to it but it was funny while it lasted. They both kept pretending they were the animals eating marshmallows in the Lorax movie. 

They pumpkins look great and they're now sitting out in the driveway so everyone can see them when they pass the house. 

They love taking pictures with my phone....

Obviously I baked the seeds from the pumpkins as well. No one here has ever had them which is a crime. They're delicious. Last night I went to Tina's and we watched Hocus Pocus and drank Chai tea. It was a wonderful fall day. 

Today is a beautiful day. The colors are wonderful and the sun is shining and the temperature is perfect for a fall day. I went on a little run and was in awe at the beauty that I am surrounded with. It still amazes me. 

I did a little workout then a 20 minute yoga class which I found online. It's an awesome website where you can stream audio yoga classes. You can pick the intensity, length, teacher, and kind. I did a power fusion one and it felt so great. My balance is so off, I haven't done any in so long. Now that I signed up for this website I think I'll try to do it at least 2 or 3 times a week. Maybe in the mornings after the kids leave for school. We'll see about that as well. Again, surrounded by so much beauty, this is where I got to do yoga today...

It was awesome. 

Back to my German class tonight! 

Herbst Holiday recap.

Holiday is over and I have lots to say about the last 2 weeks!
We have been all over the place! We drove to Lübeck, where Nina grew up, and stayed at her mom's. It is such an old city and it was really cool for me to see things that are so old and still in use. A lot of the city burned down in WWII due to bombing but most of it was restored and is back in use.
There are lots of churches there and I learned a lot about the history of the city and how it came to be, since the middle ages! We went to Nina's favorite church, St. Marien Kirche on the first day and shopped around a little. It was really rainy the first couple days.

Nina with St. Marien

There was this big clock. In Germany you have your birthday (geburtstag), and you have your namesday (namestag). The clock on the bottom shows what the church regulated name is for each day and the namestag. It was interesting to look at. 

This is the bell from the original church. It crashed down one of the towers in the fire when the city was bombed and they now keep it there right where it fell as a reminder.

We were there for a couple days and then Nina and I drove to Hamburg for a night to spend time with an old friend of hers. We shopped around and I got to see a lot of the city. It is really pretty and I think my favorite German city thus far. There are more bridges there than Venice which was interesting because it's so metropolitan and its the second largest city in Germany, after Berlin.
Nina's friend made a DELICIOUS seafood Paella and it we drank wine and chatted and we looked at a scrap book Nina had made for her when they were 18 of a 6-week trip they took to America. It was so funny to see pictures of them so young and hear about their adventure.

This is the Hamburg city hall. 

This is where Nina and I got to sleep that night. Their house was 4 narrow floors and had a very interesting layout. I got the mattress on the floor which was verrrrry comfortable. Either that or it was the wine that made me sleep so well :)

We then drove back to Lübeck to pick up the kids and continued on to Rostock and Luuge, also in the north. We stayed at another friend of Nina's. She had 2 kids, 12 and 15, and we had apple crisp and tea then hung out and later had dinner and then the next day we went into Rostock and shopped around and hung out. It was pretty when the sun was out. 

This is the city center of Rostock

The kids playing on the statues.

We saw so many rainbows because the rain was so on and off but this was one we saw while driving. Double rainbow!

We then went back to Lübeck for another 3 days. I had finished the 2 books I brought with me already on the first 2 days we were there so when it was rainy there wasn't too much to do. I had brought the second Fifty Shades of Grey book and The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This was recommended to me by Alice and it was really inspired me to want to travel so much that I made a goal for myself to see at least one new place every month that I'm here. The night I finished the book my mind was reeling with all the possibilities for my life. I could go to Australia and live on a farm or something for a few months. I could go teach English in South America or Indonesia. I could go back packing through Chile. Let's just say I got very little sleep that night and once I did, I had crazy dreams, only to wake and find they were still in my head :)

Nina and I had another day walking around the city where she showed me 2 other churches, one being the Lübeck Dom. After it's restoration, the entire church became white which was a very strange look and completely different from the rest of the churches in the city. We also saw the Hospital of the Holy Spirit which was from the 1300s and now still functions as an old folks home. 

We went out one night and to a beer cellar from 1225. That was definitely the coolest place I've ever had a beer. The city at night is also really cool with the copper steeples of the churches, a trademark of Lübeck. 

Lübeck at Night

The beer cellar, Brau Berger. This is me with the date. 

We went to walk on the beach one day as well. Lübeck is right on the Baltic Sea so that was cool to go to another big body of water, even if it was freezing out. 

We also had a day at the house where the kids collected hunderds of kastanien or chestnuts. I guess that's a fun fall activity here. We made little animals out of them and the kids had a lot of fun with that. 

Another cool thing about Lübeck is that the city center was designed with it's safety in mind during the middle ages. There is water surrounding the entire city center and gates were built at each entrance. Many of them are still standing but the most famous, the Holstentor gate. They are really old and kind of all falling over and cooked. It's very cool. 

Here it is and also another picture of me in the city!

Anyway, we're back now and back to the daily grind. Kids are back in school. I have decided that this is the week I start studying for the GRE so next time any of you talk to me, ask how that's going to make sure I'm doing it :)

I start my German class back up this week and tonight I am going to my first lacrosse practice in Köln! I don't have my gear yet but they said they have extra and i've been day dreaming about playing so I am very excited!!

My next book: On the Road by Jack Kerouac. 

Missing America,

Casey