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.