Es ist aber 320€.

June 24/Friday was an incredibly long and a somewhat stressful day. HM let me sleep in, as I had to go to Erlangen to take a test in the morning. I have been considering doing school here when I'm finished as an Au Pair. The school is three years and it's to learn to be an interpreter/translator. I applied to the school, but my admittance is dependent upon passing a German language test to see if my German is fluent enough. I had to go take the test on Friday, and it was horrible. I'll find out Wednesday if I passed, but I will be highly surprised if I did. The test was incredibly difficult. It tested on very specific grammar points, and I did not know much of the vocabulary. I'll find out Wednesday either way. After the test, I walked to HM's office to get the car keys from her. I walked to the car, drove over to the Kindergarten, and picked up the boys. As I was walking to HM's office, my phone screen went black and my phone got really hot. I figured it just needed to cool down and then it would be ok. Long story short, the phone never came back on. But more on that later. The boys and I came home and went to One's Ballschule in the neighborhood. Two and I dropped One off and then sat in a bakery while we waited for his class to be done. We all stopped for some ice cream on the way home. It was brutally hot, in the lower 90s and sunny. Germany doesn't really have air conditioning. Our house gets really, really hot as well. It's fairly miserable. Anyways, I brought the boys home and we spent an hour or so outside in the kiddie pool. We eventually came inside and played upstairs. HD called me to explain that he had been stuck in traffic and though he was originally supposed to be home around 4pm, he didn't end up getting home until about 8:30pm. HM also didn't get home until 8pm either. I got the kids ready for bed and then we waited for HP to arrive. They got home and I was finally done working. I ate dinner, showered, and then went into town. I first went over to Tony's to see Meg. When she got off work, we went to Finnegan's. It was Bob's going away party, so we all joined in on the fun. I would be lying if I didn't say that we all got absolutely plastered. I made my way home around 5am and fell into bed.

Saturday was mostly spent in bed recovering. I did make a trip to the phone store to see about getting my phone fixed. I went to a certified Apple retailer, as I have an iPhone and wanted to make sure I went somewhere where they knew what they were doing. In instances like this, as with my computer, I'd rather pay more money and know that I am getting good service, than pay less money and be worried about the quality. In the end, I was told that there was something electrically wrong with it and that it was beyond repair. My only option was to exchange it for a new one. I opted for this, though now I'm out 320€. When it rains, it pours, eh? I won't have a smart phone for the next 10-14 days. I have an old flip phone in the meantime that can only call and text. It's not the end of the world, in fact, it's kind of nice to not have a smart phone. Sometimes I do feel naked without it, but when I'm in public it just means I have more meaningful interactions with my friends. Anyways, I spent two hours on skype with my family. I skyped with my mom, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom and one of my brothers are up in Connecticut visiting my mom's family. If I was in the States, I'd be doing the same thing. This is certainly the time of year when I get most home sick. Fiona called me in the evening and said she was getting sent home from work because she didn't feel well and asked if I wanted to go watch a movie with her. I went over to check on her and make sure she had everything she needed, then went back home myself.

Sunday was a day of catch up. As you may have noticed, I was slacking on my blog posts. I had to catch up for the past week and a half, which is no easy task. I had lunch with the family, showered, and then skyped with a friend of mine, Emily, who is coming to visit in August. We wanted to talk about the details of our trip. I then made my way into town. I met Fiona and John at Finnegan's and we all watched the Ireland vs France game together. Ireland lost, unfortunately, but we had fun together. We then went out for a bite to eat. After dinner I made my way home and watched the Germany vs Slovakia game with the family. Germany won, so that was cool. I spent the rest of the evening lounging around at home.

Aber warum redet ihr Englisch?

June 20/Monday was a relaxed day. I worked in the morning, went back to sleep, and then lounged around the house. I only had to work about an hour in the evening. HP were both home for the first half of the week, which meant that I didn't have to work much in the evenings. I finished work around 6pm and then went into town to meet up with Simon. We got dinner and drinks, though we didn't stay out late. The place we went for dinner was called Vapiano's. It's an Italian chain restaurant in Germany. They are set up a little differently. You go to the counter, order your food, and then watch them cook it fresh on the stove in front of you. You then go and pay at the register on your way out. It's kind of like a cafeteria, but the food is more fresh. Anyways, Simon is German, though we mostly speak English (I have found that I typically speak whichever language I am introduced to someone in. Simon and I were introduced in English, so we speak English mostly). We were speaking English to each other but German to the cook. He ended up asking us why we spoke English to one another when we could both speak German fluently. When I explained that I was American, he just kind of laughed. We both went home around 10pm.

Tuesday was another day of little work. I worked an hour in the morning and then I was done for the day. I lounged around the house all day. In the evening I went to meet up with Johnny. We went to see Fiona at work and then met up with John later. I didn't stay out too late and was in bed by 11:30.

Wednesday was the third and last day of the week with little work, though it was far from boring. I worked in the morning, went back to sleep for a little, and then got ready for the evening. I worked about an hour so HM could go run an errand, but then I was done. I headed into town around 7pm and met up with Fiona, Meg, Johnny, John, and John (yes two John's and a Johnny). We went for our "family" dinner at a traditional German restaurant. We all then went to Finnegan's to watch the Ireland vs Italy game. In a turn of events, Ireland won the game, meaning they are advancing in the tournament. The atmosphere in the bar was electric. The rest of them went out celebrating but I had to head home, as I had a long day of work on Thursday.

Fiona, me, John, Meg, Johnny, and John.

Thursday morning I drove with HM and the kids to school and work. HD had left for a business trip early that morning, and wouldn't arrive home until Friday night. Two had a doctors appointment at 8, so we were out of the house at 7:30 (a record for us). I stayed with One in the waiting room while HM went back with Two. We dropped the kids off at school, I dropped HM off at work, and then I drove the car home. I slept a little more (I sleep quite a lot, as you may have noticed), and then lounged around the house. I didn't have quite enough time to go into town, nor did I have any money to spend. I drove back to the Kindergarten in the afternoon to pick up the kids, and then we went over and got HM. We all came home and hung around the house together. HM eventually left for dance class, so it was the kids and I for the rest of the evening. I put them down to sleep and spent some time doing chores. I went to bed nearly as soon as HM got home, as I had a big test the next morning and wanted to be sure I was fully rested.

Drei Farben! Die sind drei Farben!

June 17/Friday was another long day of work. I was up and working at 7:45. I got HP and One out the door, and Two stayed with me all day. He's back to his usual self, but he's not allowed back at school until Monday. The day was usual for us. I wanted to go out and walk around, but is basically rained all morning and into the afternoon. The weather here has been crap recently, it's been in the upper 60s and rainy for the entire week. There have been brief breaks in the cloud, but they have been few and far between. Two has taken to screaming "Rah rah!" at me when I'm in another room. He's known my name for awhile, or at least he says it when we prompt him, but it wasn't until this week that he would go looking for me around the house while saying my name. It's adorable. I opted to stay awake while he napped. I ate my lunch, watched Netflix, and did some chores. HM and One got home at 4pm. I was officially relieved of my duties. The nine hours I worked put me at a total of 35 working hours for the week (over three days), which is five hours over what I am permitted to work each week. Considering that I basically had Wednesday and Thursday off work, I can't complain too much. I drove to the grocery store to buy myself some food for Saturday morning and pick up a few things for HM. I then went into town and met Johnny for dinner. We got some pizza at a tasty little place downtown. He had to work at 7, so I headed home shortly after dinner. I spent the evening watching the Turkey vs Spain match with the family before I turned in early. I had to be up at 6am to get to my German test, so I wanted to be well rested.

Saturday was action packed. I drove to Erlangen in the morning for my big German test. It lasted from about 8:30am to 3pm with some breaks thrown in. I have to wait four weeks to see if I passed, but I have a general good feeling (keep your fingers crossed for me!!).  I was mentally exhausted by the time I left. I drove home, took a short nap, and then got ready for the music festival. I went to a techno music festival by the name of Burning Beach with Fiona, Johnny, and John. It was near a town called Pleinfeld on a lake called Brombachsee, about 40 minute away from Nürnberg. It was a relatively small festival, only about 5,000 people. The headliner for the night was Dominik Eulberg. We had an absolute blast. The music was fantastic and we couldn't have had more fun. As usual, we made friends with people around us on the dance floor and enjoyed the fact that we were on the lake. As the name implied, there were a lot of fire shows. There were ignited hula hoops, a machine that spit fire to the beat of the music, and a few other cool things. It was awesome. We stayed until just about the end, which happened to be about 5am.

Sunday was fun. I met up with Fiona, Johnny, and Anna in town and we bummed all day together. It was a fairly relaxed day with friends, which is exactly what I needed after my long day Saturday.

Aber dein Deutsch ist verdammt gut.

June 13/Monday was a long long long day. I knew it was going to be, but that didn't make it feel any shorter. I got to sleep in an hour later than usual, but that was only because HM didn't want me to be working ALL day (even tough I did). I started working at 7:45. I helped get HM and One out the door, but Two stayed home with me. He was sick on Sunday and HM told me that evening that I'd be staying home with him on Monday. It was raining most of the day, so Two and I lounged around the house for the better part of the day. I put him down for his nap earlier than usual, as he hadn't slept well the night before and was visibly very tired. I decided to nap while he napped. He still sleeps in a crib, but there's a day bed in his room for when guests come to town. I napped on the bed while he napped in his crib. He hasn't been sleeping well because he's in pain. He woke up a few times during his nap. I had to bring him over to the bed and he slept on my chest. I rolled over and tried to have him lay next to me instead of on me, but he climbed back up on me. At one point, his head was on my shoulder and his body was wrapped across my neck. I'm not sure how he found that comfortable. I woke up before he did, put him back in his crib, and then used the alone time to shower. He woke up shortly after I finished showering and we hung out until HM and One got home. I had an hour and a half break while HM watched the kids. I took the time to be alone in my room and recharge. Being alone with a sick kid all day is stressful. I left with One at 5:45 for swim class. HM wanted to stay home with Two and I went to swim class. It was the first time I'd gone to class and participated. I'd been twice before, but just watched so I knew how everything worked in the case that I'd have to go with the kids myself one day. The class had about 10 kids. All the other kids were with their parents. I was the only one who wasn't a parent. One did a really good time at telling me how everything worked, from where I put the towel to how much support I was supposed to give him in the water. He did get a bit rude with me at some points and my patience wore thin. I had to threaten him with leaving for him to be polite and nice to me. A dad heard me speaking English with him (and heard me telling him we would leave) and came over to me and started talking to me in English. It was cute. I could tell he was trying to make me more comfortable in the whole situation. He even said that he sometimes has to tell his kid they'll leave for her to start behaving well. I appreciated his gesture. When class was over, we went into the shower room to shower off from class. All of the kids were nude (obviously), and the moms all de-robed as well. Being American and consequently body-shy, I felt a little uncomfortable. I wasn't uncomfortable seeing their naked body, I was uncomfortable with them seeing mine. It's just a silly American thing I suppose. One and I showered, got dressed, and then headed home. It was a successful swim class. I was done working as soon as I got home. My 10 hour work day had finally come to an end! I was tired, but I decided to go into town and see my friends, as it was only 8pm. I met Fiona and Fitzy at Finnegan's as Johnny was working. We stayed there for a drink and then continued on to O'Shea's. I made my way home around midnight. Everyone else stayed out much later, but I knew I needed to get my sleep for the next day.

Tuesday was another long day. I was up and started working at 7:45. HM left with One for work/school and I was left to take care of Two again. We spent the morning reading books and playing. HM called and made a doctors appointment for Two late Tuesday morning. Two and I drove to his doctors office, where we met HM. The doctor confirmed that Two has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. This is the second or third time he's had it since I've been here, and One has had it as well. Two and I drove back home and HM went back to work. We had lunch and then I put Two down for a nap. I napped again while he did. He didn't sleep on me like he did the day before. He did wake up a few times and I had to get him back to sleep. I woke up before Two did and had enough time to shower before he woke up. When he finally woke up, the two of us went on a walk to the bakery down the road. HM and One got home shortly after we did and I had a short break from my duties. I stayed downstairs and hung out with them anyways. HM had to leave again at 7 for a goodbye party for her colleague. I suppose the big bosses were also going to be at the party, so she really needed/wanted to attend. The boys and I played a little longer before it was time for bed. Putting them to sleep was easier than I expected. Well, that's partly true. As I have previously mentioned, One no longer naps during the day. This is good because he falls asleep at night much faster. This is bad because he is very irritable by the end of the day. One was incredibly short tempered with me while he was getting ready for bed, but he fell asleep quickly and without protest. I was also surprised how quickly Two fell asleep. When he takes longer naps during the day, he tends to take longer to fall asleep at night. HP also often have issues getting him to fall asleep. I hardly ever have issues getting him to fall asleep at night. I'm not sure why this is. Anyways, they both fell asleep quickly and I had the night to myself. I did a variety of chores and activities while I waited for HM to get home. I ended up going to sleep before she got home, bringing my 14 hour work day to a close.

Wednesday was mostly a free day. HM felt bad that I had worked nearly 25 of my 30 weekly hours in two days, so she stayed home with Two all day. I did have to be up early to drive One to school, but that was the extent of my work for the day. I spent the morning studying for my exam on Saturday. I showered and headed into the city, where I met with Fiona and Meg. We ran some errands together and then went to see Johnny who was working at Finnegan's. Fiona eventually left for work and Meg went home to sleep. I ended up staying out with Johnny. When he was off work, him and I went to see Fiona at work and have some dinner. Liverpool John joined us later on, as did Adam, though neither of them stayed out very long. We went around to a number of bars and saw a number of other friends, like Fitzy, Paddy, and Frank. I arrived home around 1:30am.

Thursday was also mostly free. I worked half an hour in the morning to get HM and the kids out the door. HM dropped One off at school, then picked up HD from the airport. HD came home with Two and stayed with him all day. I went back to sleep, as I was exhausted from the night before. At lunchtime I got up, showered, ate lunch, and then went into town. I met Fiona and a few other friends and we watched the England vs Wales game together. The UEFA European Championship is currently taking place and there are games every day at this stage in the competition. I went home for dinner and to study for a couple of hours. HP, the kids, and I ate dinner together for the first time in at least a week. It was nice. I definitely feel like we are some kind of family (I mean they definitely are a family, but I do feel like I fit into it somehow, someway). I spent some time studying after dinner before I headed back into town. I met with some friends (Fitzy, Conor, Kat, Paul, Frank, etc) to watch the German vs Poland game. After the game, I met Johnny at Finnegan's and we went to the Shamrock for a drink. I only stayed for one drink and then I went home.

Wir beißen nicht!

June 10/Friday was a fairly standard Friday. I worked an hour in the morning, got back in bed, and watched a movie. I raced into town to buy a new pair of tights, then raced back home to make myself some lunch, shower, and head out to pick up One from school. We came home, grabbed his bag, and the rode our bikes over to his class. It was a nice day outside, sunny though a little chilly. While One was in class, I went to a little bakery across the street to read and enjoy a treat. I lost track of time and was the last one to pick up their kid. I was probably five minutes late, though it was enough for One to be the last one in the changing room. When I walked in, One looked at me and said, "You're not the first one, Farrah, you're the last one." He wasn't mad at me, just was pointing out my lateness. I apologized to his teacher and got us out of there as soon as possible. We went to the ice cream shop on the way home, and then rode our bikes back to the house. We stayed outside in the yard playing soccer for about an hour. HM called me to let me know that her, HD, and Two were stuck in traffic and would be a little while. They finally got home at 6:30pm and I was immediately done working. I basically ran out the door to catch my train. John was leaving that evening for vacation for a few weeks and I wanted to see him before he left. I met him and a few others at Finnegan's and we sat together outside for a few drinks. The time came for him to leave, so I went down to O'Shea's to chat with Fiona. I then went over to Molly's to see Meg and pick up something from her. I hadn't intended on staying out late, as I had to work the next morning, but that didn't happen. Tony's (Meg's boss and owner of Molly's) daughter was in town. She's been around a few times before and therefore is friends with Meg. She was sitting at Molly's, so I joined her for a drink and we both chatted with Meg as she worked. We decided to go out for a couple drinks when Meg was finished. Two other acquaintances, Sean and Liam, also joined the three of us. We all went to the Dubliner, where Johnny, Fiona, and a number of other friends eventually joined us.

Saturday morning I was alone with the kids for a few hours. HM drove down to Munich and HD went out on a bike ride, so it was just the kids and I. We played in the house for a little bit before One decided he wanted to go to the park. The three of us walked over to the little park just around the corner. I was surprised to see that we were the only ones there, but we stayed for about an hour. I brought the kids home and started making lunch. HM had cooked the main part of our lunch, I just had to cook the side dish and then we could eat. HD came home as I was starting on lunch. We all ate together after he was showered. HD put Two to sleep and I was done working. I took a quick nap, showered, and made my way out to Ansbach. The German public transportation system is an interesting one. It differs slightly from city to city, but on average, you don't have to prove you have a ticket before you get on the various methods of transportation. Therefore, people often "schwarzfahren," or ride without a valid ticket. They do randomly check for tickets. I've discovered that they more frequently check tickets in the warmer months than in the colder ones. People dressed in regular clothes will walk up to you on the tram/bus/underground/train and show you their badge. At this time, you must produce your valid ticket. The fine for not having a valid ticket is double the price of the regular ticket, but with a minimum of 60€. So even if your normal ticket is 4€, you're going to pay 60€. However, if your normal ticket is 60€, you'll pay 120€. If you're caught riding without a ticket three times, you get slapped with a hefty fine and must participate in community service. Anyways, I was on the train out to Ansbach. I was minding my own business when the train people walked down the aisle, checking everyone's tickets. I pulled out my ticket and showed it to them when it was my turn. The guy looked at my ticket, made a move to walk away to the next person, then came back to me. He told me that I had stamped my ticket improperly (some tickets have to be validated with date/time/station as to not use them multiple times), and that my two options were to get off the train at the next stop or to pay 60€. We were pulling up to the next station as he said this, so I jumped up, grabbed all my belongings, and ran off the train. We were in the middle of nowhere. The train stop didn't even have a train station. It was just two platforms along the tracks with two ticket machines. No parking lot either. I was livid. I had the correct ticket and had validated it. I just hadn't stamped it exactly as I was supposed to. That particular man had even checked my tickets before, and never said anything. I've actually been checked at least 20 times on that exact train before, and no one has ever said anything to me about not properly stamping my ticket. Luckily the next train came 25 minutes later and I didn't have to wait too long. Eddie and Basti met me at the train station and we went and met Patrizia at a little cafe down the road. We had a drink and then we all went to base. Adam was the lead in a play and he wanted us to come watch it. After the play, we all headed out to Eddie's for the night. We had a chill night in.

Sunday morning I went back on base with Adam. I bought myself some Honey Nut Cheerios and peanut butter and we went for lunch. Adam dropped me off at the train station and I headed back to Nürnberg. I ended up falling asleep on the train. A girl about my age woke me up when the train got to Nürnberg. It was the last stop and the train was turning back around to go to Ansbach. Had she not woken me up, I could have been riding the train to and from Ansbach for awhile. I thanked her and went on my merry way. I came home just as HP and the kids were getting home and everyone was going down for a nap. I followed suit and slept as well. In the evening I headed into town to meet Fiona, Johnny, and English John (there are lots of John's.. Irish/American John, English John, Scottish John, Johnny, etc), so we have to differentiate somehow. The four of us went back to Fiona's. We agreed to help her build her wardrobe in exchange for her cooking us dinner. A couple other friends showed up through the course of the evening and we all had fun. I didn't stay out late, as I knew I'd be working all day Monday and didn't want to be exhausted.

This weekend was good! It was a lot busier than I anticipated, but I had fun. I still can't believe it's the middle of June already. Where does the time go!?

Und du bist, so wie du bist.

June 5/Monday I woke up feeling mostly refreshed. I got some much-needed sleep, thank goodness. I worked an hour, showered, and then went to class. When I walking onto the train, a young man stopped me and asked me about my train ticket. He was wanting to ride along with me. This is not uncommon here, as there are several group tickets, which are naturally cheaper. A group of strangers will often purchase a group ticket together to save money. Anyways, I couldn't help him, and continued on my way. This week was my last week of German class, something I am fairly excited about. I'm excited to have a break from it. Even though the classes gave me a reason to leave the house, I don't really need that reason anymore. I have friends who I see in the city often. The weather is warm again, which means I can go for bike rides and do other outdoor activities. I've kind of lost my interest in the classes, so it's good timing. Anyways, class was the same as always. I came back to Nürnberg afterwards, ran some errands, and then went home and took a nap. HP and the kids got back about half an hour after I woke up from my nap. HD and One left for swim class. HM did some yard work outside while Two and I played. Two and I were walking down the street when someone stopped me and asked me for directions. I had no idea what they were looking for, but I laughed to myself that I'm even getting asked for directions on an empty suburban street. HM, Two and I had dinner together, and HD and One got home shortly thereafter. I got the kids ready for bed and then I was relieved of my duties. I spent the evening at home.

Tuesday I originally intended on going to Erlangen to care of some business, but I got lazy. I worked an hour in the morning, took a nap, and then finally got out of bed. I did some chores around the house, showered, and ate lunch. I watched some Netflix while I waited for my laundry to be done. I eventually left to run some errands in town. One of my errands included going to an internet cafe to print some things. I ran into an Irish acquaintance of mine, Charlie, at the cafe. We had a nice little chat while we both finished our printing. I got home in the late afternoon with enough time to finish my chores before everyone got home. We all had dinner together and then HM left for her dance class. HD and I put the kids to bed. I spent the rest of the evening at home. Since my German exam is quickly approaching, I'm spending more time at home studying for the exam (and ergo saving money..which was also intended).

Wednesday was my last day of German class!! I worked in the morning and then headed out to Erlangen for my last class. Class was about the same as usual: mostly boring and mildly interesting. I ran some errands in Erlangen and then went back to Nürnberg. I picked up some lunch, walked over to Finnegan's, and ate lunch with Johnny (who was working). I couldn't stay out long, as I had to head home and get started on the endless pile of children's clothing to iron. Ironing is one of my duties, but I usually only iron the kids' clothing. A piece of my soul dies every time I have to iron Two's onesies. I just can't understand ironing children's' undergarments, but I don't protest. HM dropped One off with me and then left with Two for swim class. HD got home shortly thereafter. One and I played soccer outside for awhile. HM and Two got home and the five of us had dinner together. I was finished working after dinner. Yet again, I spent the evening at home. I went downstairs to watch tv with HP. The news was on. I tried my hardest to concentrate and be informed, yet I fell asleep 15 minutes into the program. Whoops. 

Thursday turned out to be a good day. I worked in the morning, showered, and headed to Erlangen to run some errands. I spent some time at the shopping mall there as well. I desperately needed new jeans, as all of mine now have holes in them. Luckily I found a pair I deemed suitable. I went back to Nürnberg and met with Johnny and Fiona for lunch. It was a sunny (though a little chilly) day and we enjoyed lunch outside in the sunshine. I went home a little early so I could do some chores before everyone got home. HM and the kids didn't show up until nearly an hour after their normal time. I took the extra time to relax before I had to work. HM left after dinner for her dance class, and HD was away for the day on business, so I put the kids to bed by myself. I watched tv with HM for a bit before I went to bed myself. 

Oh man, bist du dick geworden!

June 3/Friday turned out to be a longer work day than I anticipated. In the morning I had to go with HM and the kids to drop them off at school/work. I came home, watched Netflix, took a nap, and then got ready for the day. I picked One up from school to take him to his Ballschule. While he was in class, I went to a cafe down the street to have a snack and read. We stopped for some ice cream on the way home. One knows my favorite (one scoop of chocolate in a cone), and now orders for me without me having to say anything. Kids really are sponges. We went home and waited for everyone else to show up. HP and Two got back around 5. HD had to take a conference call and HM left for her dance class, so it was me and the kids for awhile. HD eventually finished his call and then went outside to do some yard work. I got dinner ready and the four of us ate together. I helped HD get the kids ready for bed and then put One to sleep while HD put Two down. I finally finished working at 8:30 (I was originally supposed to be done at 6), showered, and then went in town to see my friends. I went to Molly's to see Meg, and I ran into Paul and Frank sitting at the bar. I joined them while I waited for John to get to town. John arrived at Molly's, with Lucas following shortly thereafter. We had a couple of drinks there while we waited for Meg to get off work. We all headed into town (Molly's isn't in downtown Nürnberg, but rather in the Südstadt (south part of the city), or a 10 minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof). Anyways, we all headed into town. I collected Johnny from Finnegan's and we all spent the rest of the night at the Shamrock, where a number of our other friends already were.

Saturday morning I started working at 10am. HP went to the grocery store and I took the kids to the park. It was a gorgeous day outside, in the upper 60s and sunny. We stayed at the park for a good hour and a half. One made friends with some other boys his age and Two and I walked around and played together. By the time we got back to the house, HM was cooking lunch and HD was mowing the grass. Now that the pollen is in full swing here, my allergies have started acting up. The hour and a half outside was enough to make me look like death. My eyes were red and itchy, I couldn't stop sneezing, and there was no hope to breathe out of my nose. HD looked alarmed when he saw the state of me. I'm sure I was frightening to look at. After lunch, I was relieved of my duties. I took the opportunity to take a nap, and I accidentally slept longer than planned. I got ready and headed to Johnny's with John. We hung out there for awhile before we headed into town. John and Johnny went to a bar and I went to collect Meg from work. Meg and I met the boys at the bar, and then Fiona joined us later. It was nice to have "the family" together. All of us are essentially here alone, or without blood family, so we've become a family ourselves. They're my home away from home. It's so hard to get us all in the same place at the same time because of our crazy working hours. We were all very happy to be there with each other.  We bar hopped the rest of the night and had an absolute blast.

Sunday was the laziest day I've had in a long time. I essentially did nothing all day, just laid in bed and relaxed. It was much needed.

Unter jedem Stein eine Geschichte.

May 31/Tuesday was back to business as usual. I was up early to work. I got everyone out the door on time and went back to sleep for an hour. I got up at 9, showered, and went into town to meet Meg. I had to help her run some errands (she doesn't speak German). Whenever she has something she needs to do, she asks me to come along with her. We met up with Fiona, and the three of us wandered around town getting things done. I went home in the late afternoon to do a few things around the house. HM and the kids arrived at home at their usual time. I watched the kids and got dinner ready while HM did some yard work (HD left the previous day for a business trip). HM left shortly after dinner for her dance class and I was left with the kids. They were both in good moods and putting them to sleep was easier than usual. One doesn't take naps at school anymore, which is both good and bad. Bad, because by the end of the day he is often over-tired and very difficult. Good, because he falls asleep at night much quicker. The kids were asleep by their usual time. HM didn't get home until about an hour later, and I took the time to do a couple of chores around the house and to organize my room some more. I still had a few odds and ends that hadn't been unpacked yet. I went to bed as soon as HM was back. I was still exhausted from my trip and knew Wednesday would be another long day.

Wednesday was my first German class in two and a half weeks. Class was back in session on Monday, but I wasn't back from Budapest yet. I worked in the morning to get HD and One out the door earlier than usual. One had his yearly check up with the doctor because he turned five in April. HM and Two took their time, but eventually left. I jumped in the shower, ate, and then left for my German class. It was fairly boring and I nearly fell asleep a couple of times. After class I went back to town. I needed to buy a few necessities and I just walked around town for awhile. Whenever I go out of town, I like to spend a day in the city when I get back. I met up with Johnny for a bit and we did some shopping together. I worked as usual in the evening. HM and Two went to swim class and it was just One and I for awhile until HD got home from work. I was off work around my normal time and went into town for a girls night with Meg, Fiona, and Ina. We watched cheesy movies and ate junk food. It was nice to have a quiet night in with my friends. On my way home, three different people in a span of 10 minutes approached me to ask me questions about the train (it was delayed and changed to a different track). It appears that I'll forever be approached by strangers at a higher than normal rate.

Thursday was a busy work day for me. It was HP's 10th wedding anniversary. I worked an hour in the morning, showered, and left for Erlangen. I had to take care of some business there, but was back in Nürnberg by the late morning. I had yet more errands to run in town, and I was able to get them all done. I went home and had a short nap. HP and the kids all got home around the usual time. HP changed clothes and left shortly thereafter to celebrate their anniversary. I was alone with the kids all night. We ate dinner, played, and I put them to sleep. Two was rather difficult to get down. He cried a lot, and I ended up having to hold him until he fell asleep in my arms. I spent the next two hours doing chores around the house. HP got home earlier than I expected, though I still didn't finish working until 11pm. A number of my friends were going out that night and wanted me to join, but I couldn't be bothered to leave the house so late. I went to bed early in preparation for my long day Friday.

Budapest

My weekend in Budapest was fantastic. Before I left, HM was telling the kids that I would be out of town all weekend. One's exact words were, "Are you never coming back?!" with a very concerned look on his face. We left Thursday morning and returned Monday evening. We took the train, which was about an eight hour journey each way. We stopped in Linz, Austria to change trains, with about a 30 minute layover. On the way down, the second train (from Linz to Budapest) was absolutely packed. For about an hour and a half, or from Linz to Vienna, the train was so full that we sat on the floor in the entry way with a number of other people. Luckily, the train cleared out in Vienna and we were able to get real seats. Our hostel was fine. It wasn't quite what I had expected from the pictures, but it was suitable for the weekend. We were in a room for 14 people, and we all shared two toilets and two showers. Most of the other people were Canadian, something I didn't expect. There were a couple of other Americans, an English girl, and a Brazilian girl. We all chatted when we were all there, but otherwise that was the extent of our interaction. Throughout the weekend we walked roughly 15 miles per day. In the beginning we said we were going to get a three day public transportation ticket, but we didn't end up doing that. We probably should have, as I could barely walk by the end of it. I wore converse all weekend and ended up with about five blisters and very sore feet. We walked all over the city to see everything. We didn't see everything the city had to offer, but we saw everything we wanted to see. We had many delicious meals. It was a lot harder to find places that served traditional Hungarian dishes than I expected it to be. We asked a number of Hungarians, and even most of them didn't have many good recommendations. In the end, we succeeded and ate local every meal. Their traditional dishes are a variety of meat dishes seasoned mostly with paprika. They also really like to eat goose and goose liver. The meals often looked questionable, but tasted amazing. The only bad meal we had was the crappy breakfast at the hostel (toast and cereal with instant coffee). The weather was warm. It was in the upper 70s/low 80s during the day and upper 60s at night. I made sure to wear sunscreen on my face (MOM!), and didn't get sunburned. When I got back Monday evening, HM informed me that I had gotten "brown." My freckles definitely got darker! The country as a whole is very affordable. Even with eating out two meals a day, paying for museum entrances, and buying a few random things along the way, I didn't spend all the money I had brought with me. I did get slammed with 15 euros in bank transaction fees (5 euro each time I withdrew money). All in all, it was a fantastic trip. We had a great time, saw the sights, and enjoyed a new city. I'm incredibly glad we went.

I haven't been able to download the pictures onto my computer yet. Once I do that, I'll upload my favorites from the weekend.