Leichter getan als getan.

December 26/Saturday was yet another holiday here. The day after Christmas is apparently a holiday in many places throughout Europe. I slept in and then spent the rest of the morning hanging out with my host family. Yet more goose was cooked and another Christmas style meal was eaten. In the afternoon I went for a bike ride along the river. The weather had been unseasonably warm, about 50 F during the day, and it was also sunny. I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to enjoy the warm, fresh air. Apparently everyone else in town had the same idea. The trails were packed with people. I was gone for just under two hours. The sun was setting by the time I got home and it had started to get cold. I spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the host family and reading a book. Though it was a quieter evening than I had wished for, it was still a good one.

Sunday was also relaxing. We went over to M's for a late breakfast. We had a traditional Bavarian meal of white sausages and pretzels (the big, dough ones). We all hung out for a couple hours. I snuck away and watched Frozen with the kids. Yes, it was dubbed over in German, and no, it wasn't as good. In the late afternoon I again went for a bike ride. There were just as many people out on the trails as the day before, but I still enjoyed myself. I didn't do anything in the evening, just ate dinner with the host family and finished my book.

Monday wasn't bad. I had to work a few hours in the morning/early afternoon, as HD was home with the kids. The kids school is closed all this week. I watched the kids so he could run some errands and get some things done around the house. I also had to wash the kids clothes. I went into town in the afternoon. I needed a few items before my trip to Berlin and I had also wanted to go clothes shopping once more before I left. The shops were absolutely packed and I lacked the ambition to fight the crowds. I bought what I absolutely needed and spent the rest of the time wandering around and enjoying being out of the house. I had to watch the kids again in the evening because HP went out for a date night. We played, ate dinner, got ready for bed, and read before I finally put them to sleep. It was a calm evening. I chatted with HP for a big once they were home. They're goofy, but I like them.

Tuesday I was at home with the kids all day. HP went to work. HP had a slow start to the morning and didn't end up leaving the house until around 8:30am or so. The kids and I played and read for an hour or more. Around 10:30am we left and went to the bakery to get some snacks for the (10 minute) train ride to the Hauptbahnhof. We got their little kiddie magazines from the shop in the train station and then headed back home. On the train home, there was a young kid sitting across the aisle from us. He was probably 16 or 17 years old. As we were standing up to get off the train, he got my attention and asked me in English, "Hey, I have a question. Why do you speak to your boys in English and they answer you in German?" It was the first time a stranger had asked me such a question. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that it's taken so long for anyone to ask me this. I often notice how many people look at me and the kids in public, especially once I start speaking English and once they hear the kids speaking German. It was cute that the kid made the effort to ask me in English. He seemed very impressed that I understood their German and that they understood my English. I explained everything and he seemed pretty intrigued. We came home and had lunch and then the kids went down for their nap. I enjoyed my break and relaxed. HM got home about 30 minutes after Two woke up and just as One was getting up. With her arrival, my working day was over. I spent awhile skyping with some friends from home and it was refreshing to talk to them. I spent a little time packing before I had to head out to meet up with Adam and Eddie. Our bus out of Nürnberg to Berlin was at 6:30am the next morning and it was easier for all of us if they slept in Nürnberg. I met them at the Hauptbahnhof and we went into town for a drink. Adam had been gone on vacation for three weeks, so it was awesome for the three of us to be reunited. We spent a couple of hours in the city before we headed back to my house. On the train ride home, a cute older couple had clearly been listening to us. As we were standing up to get off the train, the woman looked at me and asked, "Are you three Irish?" I said, "No, we're American." She replied, "Oh, you just look so English!" They seemed pretty tickled by it and walked off the train laughing. I was impressed that their English was so good.

Next up: New Years 2016 - Berlin! 

Frohe Weihnachten!

Christmas Eve was...different. In Germany, Christmas Eve is the bigger day of celebration. They also celebrate on Christmas Day, but most of the big festivities are done Christmas Eve. In the morning we didn't do anything special. I rode my bike to the store to pick up a few things I needed before the long weekend. Everything closed at 2pm on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day/Friday and the day after Christmas/Saturday are both holidays, so all shops would be closed until Monday. HP and the kids also went to the grocery store to pick up some things to tide us over through the weekend. The kids went down for an early nap so that we could all be up and ready to go at 3pm. The five of us made it out the door right around 3:15pm. Many tears were shed in the process and tension was high. It was oddly comforting to know that all families get stressed out on the holidays. We met M, T, L, and Oma D at church for Christmas service. It was an evangelical church, so different that I was accustomed to from the very start (I was raised Catholic). About 90% of the service was the children's group acting out a play to explain the birth of Jesus. The church was absolutely packed, making it was hard to hear or see anything. I did enjoy reading along as everyone sung in German. The service lasted just under an hour and then we made our way home. We stopped at the house real quick and I grabbed all my presents for everyone. We went back to M's house, where we had coffee and cake before we opened presents. As expected, the kids had about a thousand presents to open. It was fun to watch the excitement in their faces and to relive the magic of Christmas through them. Before the kids were done unwrapping everything, I started helping M get dinner ready. Dinner was steak, potato/almond ball things, and salad. Everything was delicious, as usual. I enjoyed everyones company, though being around the two families (who are also essentially family to each other) made me miss my family. This was my first Christmas completely away from my own family. I have been apart from my siblings and my dad for one Christmas or another, but I'd never been away from my mom. I guess this is what growing up is all about? I was home around 9:30pm and spent half an hour on FaceTime with my family before I went to bed. Thank goodness for technology!

Christmas Day simply did not feel like Christmas. In the morning I hung out with my host family a bit. The kids had some more gifts to open from family members who had sent packages in the mail. HM cooked a Christmas goose, which is apparently her tradition. I don't know if I had ever eaten goose before. It was pretty good. After lunch with them, I headed out to Ansbach to have Christmas dinner with the Martin's. It was much more like the kind of Christmas dinners I have at home with my family, though with a little bit of a British touch. Gail is from England and Richard is from the US. Everything was simply delicious and the company was excellent.  I've known them my entire life. I guess I got a little piece of family through them too. After dinner, Eddie and I headed into town. We ended up at a bar, where we sat and chatted for the next several hours. I finally made it back home around 1am.

Both days were nothing as they would have been if I had been at home with my family. They weren't inherently bad in any way, just completely different. I had many moments of overwhelming happiness, with a few moments of sadness and missing my family sprinkled in. All in all, Christmas was good to me. Between spending time with my host family, the neighbors, and the Martin's, I felt loved, welcomed, and appreciated. In the end, that's what the holidays are all about.

Danke, dann muss ich nicht dumm sterben.

Monday I was at home with Two all day. He had a slight fever over the weekend and therefore couldn't go back to school until he had been fever-free for 24 hours. In the morning we went on a long walk. We went to the grocery store to pick up some fresh bread, then made a big loop around the neighborhood. It started raining about halfway through so I had to cut the walk a little short. Two ended up falling asleep in his stroller, despite my efforts to keep him awake (I didn't want to spoil his nap time). The cleaning lady comes on Mondays, usually just around what would be nap time if the kids were home. She showed up just after noon as I was about to put Two to sleep. It took awhile to get him to fall asleep. He had been particularly cranky all day long and ended up crying in his crib. I eventually had to grab him out of his crib and laid down with him on the couch. He fell asleep on my chest. I also fell asleep, though I woke up later and put him back in his crib. I went back to sleep in his room too. The cleaning lady was still there and it was easier to only occupy one room. Two slept just short of two hours and I slept for about an hour and a half. We woke up to a clean, empty house. We didn't do much the rest of the afternoon. Two was quite whiney and cried a lot. I also couldn't get him to eat anything. He's teething right now, which is apparently the reason for his bad mood and his fever. HM and One got home around 5, relieving me of any more duties for the rest of the day. I spent the evening relaxing, as always.

Tuesday I finally got out the house. In the morning I went over to M's to clean the apartment where my parents stayed during their visit. We had been trying to get it done for the past two weeks, but something always came up. It took me about an hour to vacuum the whole apartment, wipe the counters in the kitchen, clean the bathroom, strip the beds, and mop the floors. I was glad to get it over with. I went immediately into town to shop for an outfit for New Years. I wandered around in and out of shops for about four hours. It was beyond nice to be out and about and doing something semi-productive. I was finally feeling back to my old self after my horrendous cold. I had to be back at the house at 2pm to wait for a package for HM. The package was Christmas cards for HP to send out. I was surprised to see one of the photos of me and the kids on the card. I guess I am part of the family after all! HM and the kids got home just after 5. I played with the kids, we all ate dinner, and then HM left for her dance class. As previously stated, Two was in a rotten mood and was more prone to crying than usual. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to get the kids ready for bed. HD showed up while I was in the middle of getting Two to sleep, and he took over with One.

Wednesday was a day of preparation. I drove the kids to school in the morning. HD didn't have to work at all and HM didn't have to go into work until lunchtime. When I got back from school, HM had all the kids presents spread out over the living room floor and had started wrapping everything. I joined in the fun and wrapped the few presents that I had to give everyone. I then went downtown in search for a specific article of clothing, but I couldn't find what I wanted. I came home and relaxed for a couple of hours until HD got home with the kids at 3:30pm. I worked the rest of the evening. HD decorated the Christmas tree while I kept the kids occupied. Both kids were in fickle moods. HP kept saying they were interested to see if Santa would be coming since both kids weren't behaving very well. It's nice to know parents around the world use that for motivation.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I'm interested to see what's in store.

das kranke Hühnchen

Friday I worked in the morning, including my usual Friday morning chore of washing the kids clothes from the week. I still didn't feel back to my usual self, but I was tired of sitting around at home. I was really only at home one full day (Thursday) this week, but it felt like more since my outings on Tuesday and Wednesday were exclusively for work. So if you'd ask me, I'd say I was on house arrest Tuesday through Thursday (and unfortunately throughout the weekend as well). Once all my chores were done and I had eaten, I set out to do a little Christmas shopping. I went downtown to the Christmas markets where I managed to find a little something for almost everyone on my list. I'm not completely proud of what I bought, but I don't think any of the gifts are complete garbage. I'm the kind of person who enjoys giving presents when I know the recipient is absolutely going to love it. I don't like giving something just to give it. I want to know that I put so much thought and energy into the present that they will be blown away. I don't feel that way about what I bought. Alas, it's still something. By the end of the shopping, I was absolutely exhausted. It had only been about two hours of activity. I guess that was my body's way of telling me that I'm not healthy enough yet. As I was walking home, M drove by and had me jump in her car. We ran a few errands together before heading back to her house, including stopping at the little organic food store up the road. The lady behind the counter, who often helps me when I buy bread and who asked me about my parents last week, was there. She already knew M by name. When she saw the two of us come in together, she looked absolutely confused, her eyes going back and forth between the two of us. She asked M if I belonged to her. M clarified everything, telling her that I am the au pair of the R family, but that my host family is basically her family, so therefore I'm her family too. It was quite a roundabout answer, yet somehow made sense to everyone. Lastly, M introduced me by name, which prompted Jenny to then introduce herself too (and from now on I'll refer to the "lady behind the counter" as Jenny). We all had a good laugh about it. M brought me back to her house to give me yet more medicine to take. I'm taking five different things now, some as many as five times a day. I went home for a bit and rested before the family got home. Though I wasn't working that evening, we did go back over to M's for dinner made by Oma D (T's mom, Oma means "grandma"). We weren't there long, maybe two hours or so. Dinner was delicious, as always. As Oma D was cooking, M brought over some of the food for me to test it. Oma D said something about me. I didn't hear the whole thing, but I did hear enough to hear that she called me, "das kranke Hühnchen," or literally, "the sick chicken." HD and M thought this was rather hilarious. I'm not sure if it was more of a term of endearment or poking fun. We were home around 9pm and I went to bed soon afterwards.

Saturday I had to work a couple hours while my host parents went grocery shopping. The kids weren't terrible, though that's a pretty subjective word for them. One yelled at me a number of times, which is commonplace. I was pretty exhausted from watching the kids for even two hours, so I skipped lunch and took a nap instead. I woke up feeling a lot better than I expected. It was the first time since I got sick that I truly felt noticeably better.  I think this cold is finally coming to an end! I didn't do anything the rest of the day. I just hung out with the family. I had hoped to go and meet up with some friends, but nothing came along. I suppose it was a good thing, as being out all night may have hampered my healing. After the kids were in bed, I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with HP. Apparently HD has watched the movie countless times and loves it. He's only seen it dubbed in German, however. I was hoping it would be available to stream on Netflix, but it was not. I think I made it about halfway through before I called it a night and went to bed.

Sunday was another long day of doing nothing. Despite being able to sleep in as late as I wanted, I was awake around 9:30. I guess all the mornings of waking up at 6:45 are starting to train me. HP and the kids were on their way to the Christmas markets as I was getting up. HD was kind enough to ask if there was anything I wanted them to bring back for me. I took my time eating and showering while they were all out. During the week, I enjoy the peace and quiet when I get to do such things, and on the weekends that does not exist. They were back rather early, gone for just under two hours. I spent a few hours hanging out with them, watching tv and chatting about things while HP did random chores. In the afternoon I went for a long walk. It was a beautiful day, in the 50s and sunny, and HM had encouraged me to go for a walk, saying the cold air would be good for my cough. I walked around our neighborhood and eventually down to the river. I had originally wanted to go for a long bike ride along the river, but HM absolutely forbade me from doing anything too physical while I'm still sick. When I brought it up she said something like, "Nope, nope, absolutely not, you aren't allowed to do any kind of hard exercise until you're healthy again." She was very firm and unrelenting. I didn't bother arguing with her.

Two ran a fever for a bit this weekend. He's not allowed to go back to school until he's without a fever for 24 hours, so tomorrow (Monday) he's staying at home with me. And Christmas is this Friday! I can't believe it's already here. My time here is absolutely flying by.

Du musst dich wirklich wärmer anziehen!

This week was full of long, tiring days. Despite being quite sick, I had to work...a lot.

Monday I was up early for my German class in Erlangen. HM was gone on a business trip, and I felt bad leaving HD alone with the kids. When I walked into the classroom, my teacher and one other student were already there. The teacher looked at me and said (in German), "Oh, you're back. I figured you weren't coming anymore." The only response I could feign was nervous laughter. I've only been to class once in the past month- I was out of town twice and once I was just too tired to go. Class seemed to drag on more than usual. I ran a few errands on my way home, including stopping at the grocery store, post office, and bakery. For lunch I cooked some taco meat. My burrito didn't taste quite as good as it would have at home in the US. I expected as much, but I was still disappointed. I lazed around the house in the afternoon, napping while the cleaning lady was here. I picked up the kids from school in the late afternoon. Two is always happy to see me and immediately comes over for me to pick him up, but One is often much less excited. HD came home and took One to swim class while Two and I hung out and had dinner together. Since HD and One got home a little later than Two's bedtime, I also put Two to bed.

Tuesday I woke up with an awful headache and a lot of pressure in my head. It hurt to even close my jaw all the way. As stated previously, I've had a bad cold since I was in Prague. At first, it was just some congestion and a slight cough. It seemed to be getting better, and then Tuesday I woke up feeling significantly worse. While we were all getting ready to head out the door, I expressed to HD that my head hurt. He turned to the kids and exclaimed, "We broke her!" I took the kids to school and spent the rest of the morning relaxing. HM got back from her trip that afternoon. I had to pick her up from the airport. I'd never been to the airport in Nürnberg before, but it was cool to see where it was and the route to get there. I was surprised at how close it was (15 minutes by car!). The two of us drove immediately to Erlangen. We sat in a cafe for a bit while we waited to go pick up Two from school. He had a doctors appointment that HM came home early for. While HM and Two were at the doctor, I sat in a cafe down the road and read. HM sent me to the pharmacy (which is a totally different experience here than it is in the US. Short sidebar: The pharmacy here is called the Apotheke. At the Apotheke, you can't just walk in and grab most things off the shelf, like you do in the States. You have to talk to the pharmacist and tell them what you need, sometimes even describing your symptoms to them. They will often recommend a few things and let you decide what you want. As with pharmacies in the US, many drugs are only available with a prescription from your doctor. You also won't walk into an Apotheke and find every hygiene product. You may find a few top shelf brands, but otherwise hygiene products are at another kind of store. Lastly, Germans have a much different approach to medicine than we do. They are much more into natural solutions than chemicals. They often will try every all-natural remedy before they turn to synthetic ones). So as I was saying, HM sent me to the Apotheke to get something to help with my cold. They unfortunately did not have what I was looking for. The three of us then went to another Apotheke to fill a prescription for Levi and see if they had the medicine for me. They were able to do both. I went inside the second Apotheke while HM and Two stayed in the car. Two cried when I left (progress!!!). I waved at him through the window. By the time we were done with that, it was time to go get One from school. I waited in the car while HM went inside. When we finally made it home and I walked inside the house, I had about nine things in my hands, including the medicine for me. The medicine for me somehow managed to come out of its box and shatter on the floor. My brand new medicine was already wasted. HM had to leave about an hour and a half after we got home for her work Christmas party. She told me to go upstairs during that time to rest, which I happily did. HD also had something to do for work, and both would be out late. HM left me with the kids around 6pm. We hung out, played, ate dinner, and then got ready for bed. They were both asleep just before 8:30. Knowing how sick I was, HD had called around dinner and asked if I needed him to come home early. It was definitely one of those situations where I could tell he was offering to be nice, but that he really wanted me to say he didn't need to come home. I assured him that I could manage. He told me to go to bed as soon as both of the kids were asleep. That's exactly what I did. About 30 minutes after the kids were asleep, I crawled in bed myself. I fell asleep reading with my door open. At some point, HD got home and came up to talk to me. When he saw I was asleep, he closed my door and my working hours had finally come to an end.

Wednesday I felt just slightly better. My head didn't hurt quite as badly as it did Tuesday. I still had to work a lot. I went with HM and the kids to school. HM dropped One and I off and then raced over to a doctors appointment with Two. I made sure One got all set up at school and then left and sat in a cafe to wait for HM to come back. I guess the doctor took awhile, because I was waiting for about an hour and a half.  HM eventually came back for me after she brought Two to school. I drove with her to her office and dropped her off. I finally came home and spent the day relaxing. As HM said, I "needed to be so bored that my body thought there was nothing more exciting to do than to get better." I still had chores to do, though nothing too awful. Honestly, it was nice to have a little something to do so I wouldn't be too bored. I do enjoy being a bum and doing nothing from time to time, but not for several days in a row. My mind and body get too restless. I was in the laundry room folding towels when HD got home in the late afternoon, something very unusual for him. I had headphones in and therefore couldn't hear his arrival. He finally moved into my field of vision and I was then able to register his presence. He scared me half to death and I was mortified that he'd heard me singing so loudly (and badly). He thought the whole thing was rather hilarious. He said he'd been speaking to me, but of course I couldn't hear him. I left in the late afternoon to pick up the kids from school and HM from work. Shortly after we got home, HM left with Two for swim class. HD was home, though he also left shortly thereafter for a soccer match in town with T. It was just One and I for awhile. HM and Two ended up coming home a little early because Two didn't want to swim. HM saw how miserable I felt and relieved me of my duties for the night. I had already worked seven hours that day, so I didn't feel bad about it. I think I was asleep by 9pm. HP also lectured me separately throughout the day about the importance of dressing warm. Or in my case, dressing warmer with a hat, gloves, a scarf, etc. I guess they're convinced that's why I'm sick (though I blame it on Two being sick the two weeks before I got sick). I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be getting "warmer" clothing for Christmas.

Thursday I was again confined to the house. I mostly lounged around and did less than nothing. I eventually did make it to the grocery store for some fresh bread, but that was about it. I worked the usual hours in the morning and then again in the evening. HM left me with the kids so she could go to dance class. HD was gone all day and didn't get back until quite late. It was a much easier night with the kids than I thought. One was in a good mood and Two didn't cry at all. I wish all days with them were like that. At the end of my working day, I had already used 27.5 of my 30 weekly working hours. I hardly ever use all my hours, especially not before the weekend. When I mentioned this to HM she said, "well, can you still work a few hours on Saturday anyways? We really need to go Christmas shopping." My heart sank a little.

Christmas is just around the corner and I don't have Christmas presents for anyone here. That's going to be my mission for this weekend and early next week. A few other exciting things happened this week, including booking my travel to/from Berlin for New Years with Adam and Eddie. I also booked my travel to/from Italy for the ski trip with my host family in January. Since neither of our cars can fit five people comfortably, we decided it was cheaper and easier for me to take a bus. To be honest, I'd rather do that and avoid the drama and stress that surely will ensue on the long car rides with two small children.

Dein Akzent ist komisch, wo kommst du her?

Friday I worked the usual hour in the morning and then spent an hour doing some chores like the children's laundry and vacuuming.  I finally was able to go for a run after two long weeks, though it was probably a bad idea. I'd been battling a cold for the better part of the past week, and it had been getting progressively worse. The cold air (33 F) probably wasn't the best thing for my lungs, but it felt good to get back out and exercise. I took my time eating and getting ready. I eventually left the house around 1pm and went to the shoe store. I'd been looking for a specific type of shoe, which I unfortunately didn't find. In the late afternoon I made my way over to M's with the intention of helping her clean the apartment where my parents stayed. When I arrived, she told me she was simply too tired and that we could do it the next week. We instead chatted for half an hour. I came home and read for two hours while I waited for HM and the kids to get home. HM went to her dance class again that evening, leaving me to put the kids to bed. I got them both in bed earlier before Thursday night, so I was happy. HM got home a little later and her and I were chatting about my cold. She told me that I needed to inhale some steam infused with eucalyptus. She got it all ready for me. I spent about five minutes sitting with my head over a bowl and under a towel to inhale all the steam. Germans really love their natural remedies. I've also been drinking a thyme tea that helps with a cough. I've been pleasantly surprised how much both have helped.

Saturday I got to sleep in a little before I worked from 10am until 2pm. I again watched the kids as HP went grocery shopping. As they were going to leave, One told HP that he didn't want stay with me. HD asked him why, to which he replied, "I don't like it when she does everything wrong." I've previously said that things were getting better with One, but I don't really think that's true anymore. I'm not sure if he's just in a phase right now, but he's often grumpy and yells. He is also quite quick to anger. I hope he snaps out of it soon. Once the kids went down for their naps, I spent about 45 minutes ironing the kids clothes (much to my dismay). I eventually finished and was able to start my weekend. I showered and then went to meet up with Simon, Theresa, and Mike. We had a late lunch/early dinner and then went out to wander around the Christmas markets. I enjoyed spending time with them. We're always laughing about something and all of our backgrounds are so different, something that always makes for interesting conversat. I headed home around 8pm to get changed and get ready for the night. I met up with Eddie, Basti, Marcel, and Eli. Basti and Eli were playing a show (they're djs) in the next town over from Nürnberg (Fürth) and I was invited along. We met up at the train station and then caught a train out to Fürth. We had to walk from the train station in Fürth to the venue, and thanks to Eli we got lost twice. The venue was....gritty. There's no other word to describe it. It was in the basement of a warehouse. All the furnishings looked like they came from a thrift store and the bar tenders never had correct change. Despite this, it was a really cool place. It was so underground that only awesome people were bound to show up. Basti and Eli didn't play until 1am and were set to play until 4. Eddie, Marcel, and I spent the three hours dancing and chatting. The three hours went by surprisingly quick. At one point I went outside to get some fresh air. A German couple started chatting with me. After a few minutes, the guy asked me where I was from because he said he couldn't figure out my accent. When I said that I was American, they were completely surprised. I'm not sure if they thought I was German or something else, but the fact that my accent wasn't strong enough to place it immediately made me happy. The night was long and I didn't climb into bed until nearly 8am.

Sunday I spent some much-needed time relaxing and resting. I was still battling the nasty cold and I was also nursing a hangover...Not a combination I'd recommend.

Eine Rundfahrt durch Ebl

Monday evening I came home to discover that Oma was here. Oma is HM's mom (Oma means "Grandma" in German). She came down often to help HP with the kids before I was here, but now that I'm here she isn't needed. HD had left that afternoon for his business trip and HM knew I wouldn't be able to work much until my parents left, so she called Oma. I chatted with the two of them for a bit and then I drove out to Ansbach to see Adam and Eddie. Adam was leaving the next day for a three week vacation, so I wanted to say goodbye before he left. We met at a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some food, drinks, and conversation.

Tuesday was so very busy but so very good. In the morning I drove with HM to drop One off at Kindergarten. Two was also with us, but we didn't leave him there. Instead, the three of us went to Two's doctor. He was still sick and had another checkup appointment. We finished with the doctor quicker than I expected. I dropped HM off at work and brought Two back home with me. I left Two with Oma. It was interesting because Two started whining and crying when I went to leave him with her. It was a heart warming to see that he would have rather stayed with me. I then went and picked up my mom. The two of us went grocery shopping for the big feast later that evening. We ended up going to four different stores to get what we needed. I dropped her and the groceries off at the neighbors. The two of us had lunch and then I had to continue working a little. When Two was awake after his nap, him and I drove to the school to pick up One. The three of us then went and picked up HM from work. I ended up getting a little lost and a seven minute drive ended up taking about 15. I did eventually figure out where I was and where I needed to go just by sight. I was quite proud of myself. Once back at home, I again went over to the neighbors to help my mom cook. That evening was our big Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't have such a dinner on actual Thanksgiving, as I knew we would have one when my parents came to town. Those in attendance were: myself, my parents, HM, the kids, Oma, M, T, L, and the Martin's (Richard, Gail, and Eddie). We cooked a mostly traditional dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed broccoli, and steamed string beans. There was pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Everything was perfect and everyone only had good things to say about the food. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the company. I even made a little toast about how I was thankful for that moment with all of them: my parents, old friends, and new family. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Wednesday was my parents last day in Nürnberg. I worked my usual hour in the morning. Oma was still here. I spent a good 30 minutes chatting with her once they were all gone. Eventually I met up with my parents and the three of us made our way into town. They wanted to go to the Nürnberg Trials Memorium/Courtroom 600, which we did. Afterwards we went to lunch at a brewery I walk by every day and had been wanting to try. We all found the food pretty underwhelming. When lunch was over, we spent more time walking around the Christmas markets, though we didn't stay long. We wanted to take the train home, but it ended up being cancelled after it was delayed 15 minutes. Our 20 minute journey home turned into an hour. We caught the tram and bus instead. My parents spent some time packing before the three of us went our for an early dinner in the neighborhood. We then stopped by my house so they could say goodbye to HM and the kids. When we made it back to the neighbors, we spent some time talking with M, T, and L before my parents eventually went to bed. I came home and spent some time relaxing before bed.

Thursday morning at 3:50 I woke up to take my parents to the bus stop. They had to take the bus back to the airport. I was able to come home and sleep another two hours before I had to be up for work. Once the kids and HM were out the door, I spent an hour doing some chores. Instead of going back to sleep, I got ready and made my way into the city. I had a number of errands I needed to run, as I hadn't been able to do any of them the previous eight days when my parents were here. As I was heading home, I ran into Basti on the street. He was on his lunch break. We chatted for a bit before we parted ways, including making tentative plans for the weekend. I stopped and picked up some bread at the organic grocery store in our neighborhood. The manager of the bakery is often the one behind the counter who helps me. Her and I have developed a friendly rapport. She had seen me in the store with my parents the week before, and so she asked me if my parents had been visiting me. When I said yes, she laughed and asked if a tour of the neighborhood grocery store was part of the visit. I got a good laugh from that. I had been needing a haircut for weeks, so I went to the hair salon in our neighborhood to make an appointment. One of the hair dressers was able to cut my hair that day. I made an appointment for an hour later. I finally got the haircut I desperately needed! I was a little nervous beforehand. I was afraid I might not explain well enough what I wanted or that she would just give me a bad cut. I lucked out and neither happened. I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I went to the bank afterwards. By the time I got home from all of this, I only had about an hour until HM got home with the kids. I worked from 5pm until 10pm. HM left shortly after dinner to go to dance class, so I got the kids washed up and put them to bed by myself. It had been a long time since I'd done this, and I was a little off my game time-wise. They didn't get to sleep until than later than I anticipated, but there were only a few tears so I'd consider it more or less a success.

This weekend I'm going to hang out with some friends, many of whom I haven't seen in a couple weeks, so I'm pretty excited about that. I missed them last weekend.

PRAGUE

I've been awfully busy with my parents, hence the delay with my posts. This weekend was especially eventful, as we made our way to Prague on Friday morning. My parents came over to my house in the morning and the three of us left for the bus station just around 10. I can't recall exactly when our bus was supposed to leave, but we ended up being delayed a good 45 minutes or so. The bus ride itself was uneventful. We finally made it there sometime after 3pm. Our hotel was quite close to the bus station, just a 15 minute walk. It was unfortunately raining when we arrived. After we dropped off our stuff in our room, we spent a few hours wandering around the city, including popping into a restaurant for dinner. Even with the rain, the city was beautiful. I think we got back to the hotel around 8pm or so, and my mom and I enjoyed some time in the hot tub before bed.

The Christmas Tree in Old Town Square

Saturday was perhaps the busiest day. We left the hotel by 10am and made our way to the Prague Castle. We had to take two different trams to get there, the second of which was so packed with people that we were pushed up against the doors. As suspected, most everyone on the tram was also going to the castle. The castle itself was expansive and beautiful. I think in the end we spent about three hours wandering around. We eventually left and got some lunch at a little pizza place. We then began the walk back to the hotel, walking across the Charles Bridge and stopping at other little attractions along the way. Every where we looked was absolutely beautiful. There were so many details in the architecture of the buildings. Even the sidewalks, which were different patterns constructed from stone, were incredible. At some point we arrived back at the hotel, took a little break, and then regrouped and set out for dinner. We ended up picking some little restaurant in an alley. The food was decent, but the hour wait for it was not. I was in a rush to get back to the hotel. One of my friends from my university in Mississippi, Kara, lives in Prague and we had made plans to meet up that evening. She met me at the hotel after dinner and the two of us set off to catch up. We spent two hours walking around the city and talking. At one point, we were walking down a huge shopping street. All throughout Prague, as with most big cities, there are people on the sidewalks doing various things to beg for money. We walked past someone wearing a shark costume. As soon as we passed him, I saw him out of the corner of my eye turn to follow us. A few seconds later, I found myself engulfed by him under the mouth of the costume, effectively "biting" me. It was strange, funny, and uncomfortable all at the same time. A bunch of people walking by saw it and laughed, and Kara was just astonished by it. We were both tired, so we didn't stay out late. It was still great to be able to catch up with an old friend across the world from where our friendship began.

St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle

Sunday morning we set out with a few goals in mind. We walked across the Charles Bridge on our way to the John Lennon Wall and the St. Nicholas Church. I didn't actually read about the significance of the wall until after we had seen it, but it was still interesting to see even without knowing its' purpose. The St. Nicholas Church was absolutely breathtaking. We had seen it on Saturday but had opted not to go in (there was an entrance fee). My dad really wanted to go back. I'm glad we did, it was definitely the most beautiful church we saw there. We then walked over to a restaurant that was recommended to us by the hotel staff. It was a traditional Czech restaurant (as were all of the restaurants we ate at over the weekend). Again, the food was good. By then it was time to walk over to the boats, as we had planned on going on a two hour boat tour. We got to the docks a little early, so we sat and enjoyed a hot beverage while we waited. The boat tour went up and down the river. My Mom and I opted to start out on the top deck with open air, but I only lasted 45 minutes before I was too cold. I joined by dad below and enjoyed the view through a window and with a hot chocolate in hand. The sun set shortly before the boat tour ended. We therefore got a really wonderful view of the city all lit up at night. The boat tour ended just before 5pm. We quickly went back to the hotel, took a short break, then went out for dinner. We went to another traditional Czech restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. It was also delicious.

Sunset behind the Municipal House

Monday was our last day in Prague. In the morning we went to Klementinum, which is basically a collection of historic buildings. I didn't completely listen to the tour guide when he spoke. His accent was difficult and he was a bit grumpy. However, we did go out to the top of a tower where we got an amazing 360 degree view of the whole city. It was breathtaking. Afterwards, we walked once more to the Charles Bridge, though this time just halfway across and then back again. We wanted to get one last view of the city. We walked around some more and then went to lunch. We went to yet another recommended Czech restaurant, though this one was a lot fancier than we expected. The restaurant was located in the seventh and eighth floors of a tower. We were the only customers in the whole place, but the food was incredible. After lunch it was time to head back to the hotel to collect our belongings and head to the bus stop. The bus left exactly on time.  At the Germany border, the entire bus got checked (something that I had never experienced). They checked all of our passports. The customs officers must have smelled drugs on a couple a few rows in front of us, because they ended up checking/smelling all of their belongings before they would let us continue. The whole debacle caused about an hour delay. So much for leaving on time! We finally made it back to my house around 9:30pm. My parents went straight to the neighbors to sleep.

The view from the tower at Klementinum

And there you have it! Overall I would say that our weekend was definitely a success. I'm so glad we decided to make the trip out there, and I'm sure my parents would agree.

The Miller's Come To Nürnberg

Monday was another jam-packed day of activity. I was up at the crack of dawn to get to my German class in Erlangen. Class itself was about normal. Five of the six of us were there. I enjoyed it, though I was still exhausted from the weekend. I had to keep moving around to stay awake. I went straight home after class and took a two hour nap. In the late afternoon, I went into town to walk around the Christmas markets a little bit before I headed out to meet up with Adam and Eddie. Eddie met me at the train station. As we hugged, someone joined in the hug from behind me. We were both startled. It ended up being Basti, who was on the same train as me from Nürnberg. Eddie and I went to pick up Adam and then the three of us headed to Bad Windsheim, a little town which is home to a place called Franken-Therme. This was another spa type place. They had a number of pools, some salt water and some not. They also had saunas and offered things like massages and such. We were there for the pools. We spent most of our time in the salt water pools. One was much more salty than the other, though it was hard to be in there too long. Adam and Eddie enjoyed actually being able to float (they can't do so otherwise). It was very relaxing. We were there for about two and a half hours. We left around 8:30pm and grabbed some food on the way home. I caught the train home a little later than I wanted. I had forgotten to get my ticket verified before I got onboard in Ansbach. Luckily, no one checked me.

Tuesday was a long day. I was at home with a sick Two all day. This was probably the most sick I have seen him. He wanted nothing else but to be held all day. I would set him down so I could do something and he would immediately start whining and hold his arms up for me to pick him back up. He was exhausted and fell asleep in my arms in the early morning shortly after HP and One left, though not for long. I did some chores around the house, with Two at my heels at each step. I had to periodically stop and hold him for a little so that he wouldn't get too upset. He took a long nap in the afternoon, during which I also napped a little. HP and One were home just before 5, when my duties came to an end for the day. At 5:30pm I had to go over to M's. My parents are staying in the apartment on the top floor of her house while they're here, so I helped her get the apartment clean and ready for them. I spent the evening relaxing.

Wednesday my parents got here. Two was still sick, a bit worse than Tuesday. I took One to school while HM stayed at home with Two. Shortly after I got back, HM left with Two for the doctor. I did some chores around the house and got ready. At 11:30am I left to pick up my parents. Their bus from the airport had been delayed and they arrived just about an hour after they were supposed to. We took a train back to the house. They met HM and the four of us chatted a bit while I cooked some lunch. HM then went to work some more while Two was napping. My parents and I went over to M's, where they would be staying. M has an apartment in the top floor of the house, where she puts guests. They got settled into the apartment. My mom and I then left to pick up One from school so HM could work a little more. My dad stayed and chatted with M. We got back, dropped One off with HM, and then left to pick up my dad so the three of us could head to the grocery store. My parents needed a little bit of food for breakfast and such. After the grocery store, we all met back at M's for dinner. M, T, and L were all home, and then HM and the kids were there, plus myself and my parents. We ordered schnitzel from a nearby restaurant and had a delicious meal. I was very impressed with everyone's English. L was the least likely to say anything in English, but he did a few times. At one point my Dad made a joke about thanking them for taking me off his hands, to which HM told them thank you for sending me to them. It was a sweet moment. My parents were in bed early and I came back home to help HM gets the kids to sleep.

Thursday was the day of sight seeing. I worked a few hours in the morning due to Two still being sick. HD stayed home with him so I could go out with my parents, but he needed an hour and a half in the morning to get just a little bit of work done. When he was ready to take over Two duties, I left with my parents to do the sightseeing we had planned. We spent a number of hours walking around the old part of Nürnberg. We walked up to the castle to get a view of the city. We also walked around the Christmas markets for awhile. We couldn't stay out too long, as I had to pick One up from school. That evening, my parents and I went out to Ansbach to have dinner with the Martin's - aka Eddie's family. Our parents were all friends on Kwajalein, the island I grew up on, and the Martin's live here now. Our parents wanted to have dinner to do some catching up. Dinner was fabulous, and it was awesome for our families to hang out. I think we've known each other for about 25 years.

The weekend was spent in Prague! More details on that to come, I've been busy with my parents and haven't had much time to blog (as you may have noticed).

Taschentuch?

Friday was exhausting. I only got three hours of sleep due to the train debacle. I woke up to a message from HM saying that she needed me to pick up the kids from school so she and HD could work a little late. She had driven the car to work, so I had to take the train to Erlangen to meet her and get the car. I then drove to the kids school. Two was as excited to see me as he normally is when I get them from school. He immediately wanted me to pick him up. We went and got One and then the three of us made our way home. I was at home alone with the kids for a couple of hours until HD got home. I was so tired that I was doing things just to keep from being still and falling asleep. I washed the kids clothes, vacuumed, wiped the counters, etc. Anything to keep moving. Some of these things I had to do anyways, but some I did just to be busy. The four of us ate dinner together. As we were all heading upstairs to put the kids to sleep, M and T came over for a short visit with their new puppy. After they left, the bedtime festivities began. Bedtime was luckily without incidence and the kids were quickly asleep. I waited for HM to get home so the three of us could talk about the rest of the weekend. I had told her about the craziness during the concert trip when I saw her to get the car. She thought it was pretty funny. She made me tell HD all about it when she got home. We also talked about food throughout the weekend (we only cook hot meals on the weekends). HM requested for me to make the chicken and rice soup because she liked it so much. I was in bed by 10pm.

Saturday was good. I worked from about 9:30am until I finished cooking around 4pm. I watched the kids while HP went grocery shopping. When they got back, I started on the soup. It takes awhile because I have to boil and debone a chicken. I started around 1pm or so and finished just after 4pm. I left immediately to meet up with Adam and Kelsey at the Christmas markets in Nürnberg. They had been there for a couple of hours already so they were about ready to go. We walked around for a bit before we all got on a train to Ansbach. On the train, Adam was telling a story just as I went to take a sip of water. I found his story so funny that I spit up my water over everything, particularly the train window and my lap. A girl across the aisle from us saw everything and leaned over and handed me a few tissues. The whole train was quiet except for the three of us laughing hysterically. Once in Ansbach, we headed over to Eddie's. The four of us spent the evening hanging out there. A fun time was had by all.

Sunday was relaxing. I spent the day hanging out in Ansbach with Eddie and Adam, mostly doing nothing. We got Chinese for dinner in town. I took the 10:54pm train back to Nürnberg.