April 8/Friday proved to be busier than I anticipated. I worked an hour in the morning and then tried to go back to sleep. As I was laying in bed, I heard the door bell ring. It was the delivery man bringing the supplies for the section of the fence that has to be replaced. I had to open the gate to the driveway so he could bring in the ginormous delivery which was wrapped over two wooden pallets. Luckily it didn't take too long and I immediately crawled back into bed. I went for a run in the early afternoon, and then showered and ate. HD came home with One at 2:30pm and the three of us went to One's soccer class. It was the same one he participated in during the fall, just in a different place. Neither HD or I had been to the new location and didn't know how to get in the entrance. The building was a gym located behind the elementary school. The gates were locked when we walked up. We walked the entire circumference of the gym trying to find a way in. When I say circumference, I mean on the sidewalks and streets around the building. We couldn't find any path actually leading up to the gym. By that time, we were late. In order to speed up the process, I put One on my back so HD and I could walk at a more brisk pace. Half way into our quest around the building, it was already 3pm. HD took One from me, threw him over his shoulder, and we started running. We made a full circle around the building and found the first entrance we tried to then be open. Finally! One quickly got changed and joined his class. The instructor was the same from last time. I waited for One to finish and HD went back home to work some more. One was quite apprehensive the entire time. He doesn't like trying new things and feeling out of his element. He eventually warmed up to everyone by the end of the class. Him and I walked home together, stopping at the ice cream shop on the way. We both had a scoop of chocolate on a cone. On the walk, a couple with four little dogs came up behind us. One was very curious about the dogs, and kept turing around to look at them. Three of the dogs were off their leashes, but one was still attached. One noticed this and said something to me. I commented back, saying that dog probably didn't listen very well, so he wasn't allowed to be disconnected. The woman holding the line and heard me, and then replied, in English, "No, he doesn't listen at all!" I was totally surprised by this, as most people who hear me speaking English to the kids don't talk to me in English too. Anyways, we went home and hung out for awhile. Around 5pm, HM told me I had the rest of the night off. I spent some time ironing the kids clothes before dinner. The five of us all ate together. I left shortly thereafter to meet Adam and Eddie at the train station. The three of us hopped on a tram and went out to the Volksfest. We meandered around the fest for a little bit, even stopping to go on a roller coaster. We eventually settled in at the Rock n' Roll tent, had a drink, and enjoyed the live music. We didn't end up staying too long, as they wanted to get back to Ansbach relatively early. We took the tram back to the Hauptbahnhof around 10:30pm. Adam and Eddie jumped on the train and I walked to Molly's to see Meg. I didn't stay long at Molly's, just long enough to say hello and catch up. I made my way home and was safely tucked into bed around midnight.
Saturday was exciting. I worked in the morning from 10am to 2pm. I took the boys to the playground while HM went grocery shopping and HD went to pick up a desk for One. We all ate lunch together and then I was done working. I spent some time relaxing in my room before I got ready and went into town. I went to Ina's where Fiona, Meg, and some others were hanging out. I hung out with them for an hour before I continued on to the train station to catch a train to Ansbach. Adam met me at the train station and we walked to a restaurant where we met with my old friend, Marc, and his girlfriend, Christina. Marc and I studied together at my university in the US, though he's German. He's from a village outside Munich and his girlfriend is from a village outside Ansbach. I hadn't seen him in two years. The four of us enjoyed dinner together and then went for a drink afterwards. It was awesome to catch up. So much has happened in both our lives since we first met nearly four years ago. Eddie, Basti, Patricia, Eve, Felix, Marcel, Paula, and some others eventually showed up at the bar we were at. Unfortunately, it was too late and I had to go shortly after they all got there. Everyone was sad to see me go, or they at least pretended to be. Marc and Cristina also left when I did, and we made tentative plans to hang out again soon. I caught the last train back to Nürnberg at 12:14am. Once back in town, I met up with Meg and Fiona at the Shamrock. We spent an hour or two there and then left to go meet Ina at Kloster, the bar where she works. Ina was closing up the bar and the three of us waited for her to be done. By the time she was all done, it was 5am. The four of us walked back together to Ina's. I only stayed there for about 30 minutes before I left to catch my train. I didn't want to wait in the Hauptbahnhof at 5am on a Sunday morning alone. On my walk to the train station, I ran into Allen, an Irish guy who works at Finnegan's and who I have chatted with on several occasions. He was also on his way home. We talked a little, including him if I had any craic. "Craic" is a word they use in Ireland to mean "fun, stories." What I heard was him asking me if I had any "crack," aka the drug. I was pretty taken aback and didn't know what to say, so I just laughed it off. We eventually parted ways. I immediately texted Fiona, Meg, and Johnny relating my weird experience. They laughed at me and informed me that he had said "craic" and not "crack." I guess you learn something new every day! I made it home around 6:30am and climbed into bed just before 7am.
Sunday was a day of catching up. I slept from 7am until 2pm. I got up, skyped with my mom, and then went for a run. When I come back from my run, I always spend 15 minutes stretching in the driveway. HD walked outside as I was doing this and gave me a funny look. I looked back at him quizzically, and he asked me, "Why are you laying on the stones? Do you want to get sick?" I informed him that I was just stretching and that it only took a few minutes, and that usually the grass was wet, so I wasn't going to sit there. He continued to give me a funny look, then went back inside. One time a few weeks ago, I went to sit down on the stones when we were outside by the fire. HM quickly scolded me, telling me that I shouldn't sit on cold stones in Germany, especially during the winter, because it'll give me a bladder infection. I personally have never heard this and I chalked it up to be an old wives tale, but I got up anyways without arguing. I assume this is what HD was referring to when he asked me why I was sitting on the cold stones. This isn't the first time they've said something to me that I found to be stereotypically German, especially related to health. I couldn't help but giggle. I showered and then the five of us all ate dinner together. After dinner, I skyped with three of my best friends from home. We talked for nearly two hours and it was fantastic. I was still tired from the night before, so I was in bed rather early.
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