Happy Birthday America

The Barbeque, a quintessential American past time. There's nothing quite like a Summer afternoon and evening spent in the backyard while the men barbeque, the women gossip, and the children run around with water guns like wild heathens in bathing suits. Some of my fondest Summer memories have been passed lounging around in the sun with friends and family, watermelon juice running down my fingers. It is all so very American. No wonder that on our Independence day we break out the barbeques and rub on the sunblock. Nothing goes better with red, white, and blue like some yummy baby back ribs.

You wouldn't believe how many people here in Germany ask me if I like BBQ sauce. And most of the people who ask me then tell me I'm weird for liking it (ahem, Bernie...). I guess it's one of those things that is just super American and I never really stopped to think about it, just like barbeques. Here in Germany they call the grill (the machine) a grill like we do. But unlike us, they call the act of having a barbeque, grilling ("Oh we are grilling on Saturday, want to join in?"). Which is just so strange to me. All the same, a tomato is a tomato whatever you call it, I'm glad they enjoy grilling things too. I've been seriously missing out on BBQ. The Summer weather (in between all the rain) has provided for some lovely opportunities to have grills with my friends.

About two or so weeks ago I began to ponder what I should do for the 4th of July. My friends had told me they would gladly celebrate with me, so I had to think of something fun and super American to do. Then it hit me, duh, we would have a barbeque. That's what I've done on the 4th of July as long as I can remember, so why wouldn't I do it again this year?! Of course I came to this conclusion like three days before the actual holiday, typical me, so I had to throw together plans at the speed of light. Nacha and Bernie graciously offered up their apartment for the event, and with that part squared away, I invited people and suggested food items to bring. And of course I told people to wear red, white, and blue... we can't have the 4th of July without being a little patriotic now can we?? Well, technically we could. But it's no fun that way, so hush.

Since the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday this year (middle of the week? laaaame), I had to work. I wore a cute red, white, and blue outfit that was perfect for the warm day. And while Martha, Frieda, and I colored, I created very holiday themed pictures. I tried to get them to join in on the fun, but no such luck. They just kept doing their usual coloring, which, is as usual awesome. I love that we get to get all crafty together. I didn't get to spend much time with the girls that afternoon though, Christiane had me run a bunch of errands for Martha's mermaid themed birthday party that's coming up soon. Which was a really fun shopping trip I must say.

After work, I biked over to Penny Markt (a fabulously cheap grocery store), and got some steaks, potato salad, lemon cake mix, and fruit for my part of the potluck. Then I headed over to Nacha and Bernie's apartment, which isn't too far from Penny's.

I was the first to arrive at Nacha's (shocker, I know), but I expected this considering our "party" wasn't going to be a big one; just Nacha, Bernie, Ivanka, and I with Albert and Daniel possibly coming.

I broke out the cake mix and added the needed milk, butter, and eggs and then put it a typical rectangular cake pan (well, it wasn't technically a pan since it was glass.... I'm not good with kitchen-y things). While the cake baked, Nacha and I sat on the balcony chatting and enjoying the beautiful evening.

Soon Ivanka arrived (not wearing red, white, or blue... shaaame), and not long after Bernie got home from work. With Bernie home, we started up the grill. Nacha brought out all the food onto the balcony; a delicious assortment of fruit, meats, potato salad, sodas, pretzel sticks, and beer. I took the cake out of the oven and set it near the window to cool.

View from the balcony, the grill, and the cake.

Albert came and we started to munch on the food in earnest. The meat wasn't quite cooked yet, so we didn't want to fill up on pretzel sticks. Once my cake had finally cooled, Nacha whipped up some whipped cream for me and spread it over the top of the cake.While she did this I cut two bananas into slices and cut a handful of strawberries in half. With the whipped cream on the cake and the fruit cut, I was ready to begin my creation. In the top left corner of the cake I took blueberries and lined them up into a couple rows until they had made a nice square. Then with the rest of the cake I made alternating stripes of strawberries and bananas. The result? An American flag cake!

Me and my cake creation.

After I finished the cake, I rejoined everyone on the balcony and our barbeque really began. Nacha cut up all the meat into little pieces and stuck toothpicks in them for easy eating. The balcony isn't very big, so we all could reach the different foods on the little table from where we were sitting. The food was delicious. The only thing missing was watermelon. A tragedy to be sure.

Sadly after we were done eating Albert had to go. He had a birthday party to go to, but we were all glad that he was able to stop by. Not long after he left, Daniel arrived. He ate while we all just hung out on the balcony and talked about random things. We usually have really strange conversations on the balcony, one time we talked about the history of the toilet. No, I'm not kidding.

Ivanka and I like to pretend like we are sisters.

Bernie consented to be in a picture with Nacha (and his beer)./The girlies and I posing in a "family" portrait.

Then it was cake time. Always the best part of a party right? Oh gosh, it was so yummy. This being the first time I had attempted this recipe, I was a little worried, but it turned out lovely. And I'm not the only one who thought so, everyone else loved it too. I'm always quite proud when my cooking skills somehow manage to create yumminess. (There's been too many cookie massacres in the past to count. I think I have a better handle on cakes. Sort of...).

We basked in the last few rays of the sun as it slipped behind the clouds and then went inside. It was almost 10 o'clock at night after all. After a clean up and some chatting, Nacha scooted us all out of the apartment because she had Bernie had an early morning the next day.

Like most holidays this year, this wasn't a very typical one for me. But I loved it anyways. 4th of July is my second favorite holiday, I gotta party it up! Well, I'm not really a partier. Grilling is nice and tame, enough of a party for me.

Friends, food, a grill, and a dash of patriotism made for a wonderful 4th of July barbeque. Like the many 4th of July barbeque's that have come before it, it was a great display of the American spirit. American spirit, in Germany, with two Chileans, an Argentinian, an Irish girl, and a German. What a melting pot.

Copy Mouse

It's no secret that I love Disneyland (and all things Disney really). Being away from Disneyland this past year has definitely been a bummer. It's the first year I haven't had an annual pass since I was 12 years old. Crazy right? Definitely having Disneyland withdrawals (like quoting the Indiana Jones ride for fun). Being the loyal Disneyland guest that I am; I am very critical of other theme parks. I love other parks, I mean come on, Six Flags roller coasters? The bomb. But it's still no Disneyland. Same goes for other places. I just have utterly high standards when in comes to my overall theme park experience thanks to Disney. So when I first heard of Europa-Park, I knew it didn't stand a chance, no matter how awesome it was.

About a week ago some friends of mine (other au pairs) decided to plan a day trip to Europa-Park and asked if I wanted to join in. I had heard about Europa-Park quite a few times over the months, so I decided it would be worth a visit. I told Nacha and Ivanka about it, and they (and others) wanted to join in on the fun as well. Things were discussed, and plans were planned, and soon we had decided that July 1st would be our adventure day. Like I always say: "There's nothing like a theme park to start the month off right." Yeah. You're right. I don't really say that.

Sunday rolled around and we embarked on our adventure in the early morning hour of 7 a.m., which of course caused much eye rubbing and demands for coffee. Once properly fueled on coffee and baked goods, Nacha, Bernie, Albert, Ivanka, and I hopped on a train headed towards Rust, Germany (which is quite near the French/German border). We were to meet up with my au pair friends (who had left earlier than us) at the theme park.

As we jumped off the train and joined a queue to get on a bus that would take us to the park, the weather decided to show off by raining. But not a sudden down pour or thunderstorm, and not even a nice light mist. No. It was a steady "light rain" all day. ALL DAY. Needless to say we were drenched the whole time (water rides didn't help haha). It finally let up less than an hour before we left. Ridiculous, but typical. This German "Summer" weather is all lies. This is not Summer. Wearing pants and closed toed shoes is not Summer. I- Urgh. Okay. Deep breaths. No need to rant about how much I miss California Summer weather. Sorry. Now, back to my story.

After a very, very squished bus ride, we arrived. Europa-Park stood before us in all it's glory. And man, is it big. It's largest theme park in Europe actually. I still eyed it skeptically though. Because as we all know, size doesn't always dictate how awesome something is.

The entrance gate.

We waltzed through the gates, grabbed some maps, put our stuff in lockers (best idea ever), and started to figure out a game plan for the day. Albert was the one that suggest we try to put off the best rides till later, and do all the less exciting rides first. That way we end the day off on a high note.

So we set off into the park. Like Disneyland, Europa-Park is divided into themed lands. Europa-Park's are, quite appropriately, different European countries (such as Germany, Spain, Iceland... you get the idea). Then there are three other sections that house the rides and attractions that didn't quite fit into the other countries themes. Those lands are: Children's World, Enchanted Forest, and Adventure Land. While the country themed lands tended to remind me more of a strange mix between Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland, the odd ball lands reminded me solely of Disney. Which was a cause of much giggling for me because I kept thinking what a big copy cat Europa-Park is. But then again, many theme/amusement parks copy each other, so I'm being slightly biased. Probably more than slightly. Tragically sorry about that.

Here's a map of the park.

The first stop on our "world tour" was Germany, where we met Euromaus. Euromaus (Euro Mouse), the park's mascot, is a grey mouse. Can't help but think of another famous mouse mascot.... Mickey Mouse, anyone? Nacha and I couldn't get over the fact that they deliberately chose a mouse as a mascot, even when they knew that Mickey Mouse was a mascot for another, very famous, theme park. What were they thinking? Who knows. Well, all criticism aside, Euromaus is a friendly guy and we got a picture with him and his dolphin friend.

Me, Nacha, and Ivanka with Euromaus and his dolphin friend.

Next we headed into Italy. Here we road Ghost Castle... an ever so "frightening" ride through a haunted house. Again, sound familiar? (Haunted Mansion). Then we frolicked over to France and rode on the Dinosaur Ride. It was another dark ride, which Ivanka and I enjoyed thoroughly. Especially the sign at the end that says "Please, get off",  ever so politely. All around the park the translated English was quite the giggle. I even caught a few spelling errors here and there. But you have to hand it to them for having the signs in German, English, and French. That's awesome.

After visiting the dinosaurs, we made our way to Switzerland to ride the Matterhorn Blitz. I really wanted to ride this one, because I miss the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland quite badly, but sadly my dreams were crushed. The ride broke down due to technical problems while we were in line. Sad, sad day.

We left the Matterhorn Blitz and walked through Greece to get to Russia (surprisingly not as long of a walk as you'd think). Russia is where I first caught a glimpse of the park's monorail. Another typical Disneyland ride. And though the Europa-Park monorail was similar, it definitely had a European train flair. I especially liked how the different trains had different routes written on the side. Of course they all went to the same places around the park, but you could pretend you were going from Zurich to Frankfurt (or other locations in Europe) if you ever so desired. After ogling at the monorail, we rode the Euro-Mir, which is a roller coaster that simulates astronaut space training. I've never been on anything like it, definitely really cool. You are basically in a pod with four people sitting back to back, and throughout the ride the whole pod spins and it goes down the tracks. And along with the traditional roller coaster picture taking Europa-Park has added a twist: video taping. In certain seats there are cameras that tape all your screams and looks of pure terror. I found this to be quite entertaining. Though, just like the photos, I would never actually buy it.

Finally we were able to meet up with my au pair friends in Iceland. "Hallos" and names were exchanged. From there we went to Portugal and rode our first wet ride: Atlantica Super Splash. We amazingly spared getting drenched. Which didn't really matter at this point considering how wet we were from the rain.

Then we went back to Iceland and went on a super amazing roller coaster called Blue Fire. Well, not all of us. Bernie and Ivanka aren't big fans of the dizzying effects of roller coasters, so they avoided them the whole day. So anytime the rest of the group went on one, they went off on an adventure and did something else. But back to Blue Fire... ah man. It's just your typical roller coaster, sitting with shoulder restraints, but geez is it fast. And there are the wonderful moments were your adrenaline goes haywire from all the twists and flips. Roller coasters are just too much fun.

Blue Fire from a distance.

Sadly after Blue Fire we lost my au pair friends and didn't end up reconnecting with them the rest of the day. But the five of us had fun anyways.

The next ride we decided to hop on was Wodan: Timburcoaster. The theme of this ride is about Norse legends. Which is legit. But they failed when it came to setting the mood in line just because of a few details in decor, like the really, really fake looking wood (which Albert and I rolled our eyes at). The coaster itself totally threw me off. Not literally, haha. It's a wooden coaster, and with most wooden roller coasters one gets used to the idea that all wooden coasters are a bumpy, "hold onto your head" adventure. This one was actually really smooth, a total shocker.

Letting out my inner viking. (Albert being a prankster in the background).

Famished, we dug into our stash of sandwiches. Being the ever savvy people we are, we decided to bring food with us. Nacha, the magically amazing cook, made some legit sandwiches, which were devoured over the course of the day. We also had some snacky food, yummy, though not as awesome as the sandwiches.

While Albert and I ate our sandwiches, the other three decided to go on a quick ride nearby. While Nacha, Bernie, and Ivanka road Whale Adventures Splash Tours, Albert and I tried to find some shelter from the rain. We found a nice awning to sit underneath super close to the ride the others were on. One minute we were eating our sandwiches, and the next minute we were getting soaked from behind. Turns out the Whale Adventure ride is interactive... you can spray water at passersby from a tugboat and they can spray water at you from the docks. We jumped out of the way, grumbling about the bratty teenagers that had succeeded in getting us more wet, and then proceeded to sit in the same spot. Yeah, we are that stupid. The next boat came and what do ya know, it was our friends, and they were feeling pretty mischievous. The trio declared war on the two of us in a series of water canon blasts, and we both ran for it. I, to get a better view for pictures, and Albert to claim watery revenge. After much spraying and yelling, Albert came out the clear winner of the water fight; and the Bernie, Nacha, and Ivanka were whisked away in their tugboat to the end of the ride in shame.

Nacha and Ivanka getting thoroughly defeated in the water battle.

Next stop on our world tour: Scandinavia. Here we rode the Vindjammer, a big swinging viking boat, which was hilariously entertaining due to collaborative efforts of all the riders to make sound effects. Then we decided to try our luck on another water ride, the Fjord-Rafting. Which is like a less tame version of California Adventure's Grizzly Bear Rapids. At one point, to all the girls horror, we bumped into another raft and none of us could quite figure out if that was supposed the happen or not. When all was said and done, I was the only one that escaped getting drenched. Nacha, the wettest of us all, demanded that we go back to Portugal to a warming station (a people sized Barbie box with walls lined with heat vents blowing out hot air) we had seen earlier.

Ivanka making friends with a shark in Scandinavia...

Albert and I on the Vindjammer.

 For our next destination I made a request. I wanted to go on the Vienna Wave Swinger (aka swings) in Austria. So went made our way to Austria by going through Spain. While in Spain, we took a little detour and rode the very county fair like Feria Swing (which isn't really a swing at all). Once we got to Austria I was very excited. I love your typical run of the mill playground swings, so the ones at theme parks are always extra thrilling to me (swings on steroids). California Adventure has swings that were recently updated from being inside a giant orange to being Silly Symphony themed. So when I rounded the bend from Spain to Austria, I wasn't sure what to expect with the Europa-Park swings. Much to my giggles, I saw that they swings were mushroom themed. Yes, that's a theme. The main base was this huuuge mushroom and from the under part of the mushroom hung the colorful plastic and metal swings. Albert and I got in line, which really wasn't a line, since we were the only ones in it. Ivanka, Nacha, and Bernie decided to go on a nearby water ride and not join in on the fun. We got to go on the swings twice in a row because there were only a handful of people on the ride. So lovely. I love feeling like I'm flying.

Albert looking so stylish in his rain poncho.

Footloose and fancy free.

The swings!

After the mushroom swings, we all met up again and traveled through the Enchanted Forest. Which was quite magical. We even saw the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel. Fancy stuff. Once we made it through the forest, we found ourselves in England. There we played soccer in bumper cars shaped like cleats. Truly something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.

Ivanka in her cleat shaped bumper car.

Once we were done perfecting our soccer skills, we headed back to France. This visit, we rode the Silver Star, a very hilly roller coaster. No flips or twists, but still very thrilling. Once off the ride, we filled up on some hotdogs and sandwiches, and were ready to hit the pavement again.

We failed in our attempts to ride the Volo da Vinci (Da Vinci flying machines) in Italy because of an extremely long line. But while in line we got to witness the most ridiculous on stage performance by Euromaus and his girlfriend. They were singing about the rain twirling their umbrellas while wearing a seriously lacking costume: raincoats, rainboots, jeans, and mouse heads. They looked so cheap! I couldn't believe it. You could totally tell it was two girls. I felt offended for the children, where was the magic?! Ahhhh. Disney would never do that.

Our time at Europa-Park was nearing it's end. Six o'clock was coming quickly, and we knew we had to be choosey about our last one or two rides. I made another request... I begged everyone to go on one of the most boring rides in the park: the Dschungel-Fahrt (Jungle Ride). Why? Well, I am a nerd of epic proportions of course! My favorite ride in Disneyland is the Jungle Cruise (cheesy jokes and all) and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to go on a similar ride. So I dragged everyone back across the park to go to Adventure Land. Well, the ride did not disappoint. Of course, it's no Jungle Cruise, but it was close enough. Since there were no guides to give cheesy jokes, I had to resist the urge to not give the tour myself. I know all those jokes by heart, it wouldn't be too difficult haha. Probably the best part of the ride was the fact that it would be oh so easy to just jump off the raft. Safety at it's finest.

Me in front of my look-a-like Jungle Cruise. Life is good.

Bernie being a silly goose.

Floating through an African village.

Silly nonsense.

We decided that we had enough time for one more ride, so we rushed back over to Iceland to ride Blue Fire again. It once again was awesome. But, when we got off the ride we started to panic. We had about fifteen minutes to get across the park, get our stuff out of the lockers, and jump on the bus that would take us back to the train station. If we missed that bus we would have to wait another hour for the next one. So we had to book it across the park as fast as we could, tensions running high. The five of us hopped on that bus with a minute to spare. Now that's what I call perfect timing.

In the warmth of the train home we finally started to dry. Which was quite nice after a day of looking and feeling like we had taken a swim in a lake. Once we got home I was extremely glad to take a hot shower and jump into some warm pajamas.

All in all, I had a lovely day. Rain and a theme park always makes for an adventure. Add on top of that that I was with a great group of friends in a foreign country and you have a winning combination. Europa-Park will definitely be seeing more of me, there's still so many rides to ride! But, in all seriousness.... Disneyland still holds my heart. And that's not going to change anytime soon.

Einundzwanigster Geburtstag

21 years old. That used to sound so old, so mature, so grown. Now, not so much. Being 21 really puts 21 in perspective. It's so young. Maybe I just feel young. But I feel really old and ancient at the same time, which is ridiculous. Oh goodness. One thing I do know for certain is that 21 brings me into a whole new ball game, I'm officially an "adult" these days. Shit gets real from this point on folks. What a scary and thrilling thought.

I love birthdays. Especially mine. I always get super excited for them (like counting down from January to May and such) and I am always let down. Not that all my birthdays have sucked, most of them have been freaking amazing, it's just that I place way too high of expectations on them that can't be fulfilled. Which is ridiculous, I know. Well, this year was a little different than usual. To be honest, I was actually dreading my birthday. Why? 1. Being 21 didn't have the same significance that it should have, considering I have been able to drink the moment I stepped into Germany 2. I wouldn't be able to celebrate it with my friends and family back home 3. I figured nothing special would happen. I decided because of these reasons to not get excited for my birthday like I do every year. In fact, I planned on not thinking about it all.

My strategy worked (sort of) all the way up until the end of April/beginning of May. Around this time Nacha, Ivanka, and Daniel started bugging me about what I wanted to do for my birthday. Especially Daniel. I kept shrugging it off saying we would figure something out, I just wanted to go on an adventure somewhere. But Dan kept at it. And eventually we had all these jokes about what I would do for my birthday, like going sky diving or driving a Porsche. Just jokes. Sky diving is a no go because I'm quite scared of heights... that adventure shall be left for another day. And I couldn't actually drive a Porsche for two reasons: my California license isn't valid here after 6 months and don't know how to drive a stick shift. Eventually the Porsche jokes turned into Mercedes jokes. Mainly because I could actually drive a Mercedes because they are automatic, and because there is space for more people. I didn't think much of all this talk though. Dan was just messing with me.

About a week before my birthday my friends were able to squeeze a birthday schedule out of me. Dan and I would have breakfast, go get Starbucks, then meet up with Ivanka and Nacha, take a train to Baden-Baden, explore the city for the afternoon, come back to Karlsruhe, and have a little dinner at Nacha and Bernie's house. I got my adventure and it sounded like a pretty fun day.

So May 30th rolled around and there I was, 21. It was a strange feeling. I'd finally reached "the age". I was a ball full of energy; my attempts to not be excited about my birthday thrown out the window. Dan came over to my apartment and we made breakfast. Well, I made breakfast. And I failed miserably at my pancake making because I put too much salt in them on accident. They weren't horrible though, especially with the strawberries and whipped cream on top (Dan would disagree I'm sure haha).

Then it was off to the city to get Starbucks. Which I know doesn't seem like a big deal, but for me it was a total treat. Starbucks is ungodly expensive in Europe. Worse than at home. Thus, I've only had it here maybe three times. So I'm sure you can imagine my total excitement. I got a Coffee Frappachino (without whipped cream) and it was heavenly.

Walking from the center of the city back to my house, Daniel started joking about the Mercedes again. (And Hummers. He knows how I loathe those things). He said that he really did get me a Mercedes for the day. I told him I wouldn't believe him until my ass was in the seat. Well, when we got to my street, he pulled a set of car keys of his pocket. Foot in mouth. I certainly did believe him once my ass was in the seat. I was stunned, and pretty darn stoked. Such a great surprise.

Daniel, Starbucks, and a Mercedes. Life is good.

Daniel drove us to go pick up Ivanka. Once we got Ivy, we hopped on the Autobahn and headed to Baden-Baden (Nacha was to meet us there). I stuck my head and arm out of the window in pure giddy glee the whole ride. We picked up Nacha at the Baden-Baden train station and drove towards the center of the city while deciding what to do. Well, adventure found us in the form of a castle. One of us saw a sign for the Altes Schloss. We all decided it was worth a look and drove up a winding road to where the castle sat atop a hill.

Driving on the Autobahn.

The Altes Schloss (also known as Schloss Hodenbaden), has been around since 1102 A.D. That's pretty intense, if you ask me. You can definitely see the wear and tear that time has created on the brown stones that make up the walls. Yet the castle manages to still to give off a feeling of solid power and beauty. The four of us spent a good hour or so exploring the various areas of the castle, climbing lots of narrow stairs, and catching breath taking views of the valley that Baden-Baden sits in. The girls and I spent a majority of our time there pretending we were royalty.

Altes Schloss entrance.

Exploring the ground floor.

Stairs aplenty!

The view was amazing.

We left the castle to go into town. After a short drive, we parked, and then the weather decided to give me a nice birthday present: rain, thunder, and lightening. And it was humid on top of all that. Ever so delightful. But, in true German fashion we just ignored the weather as best we could and continued on with our day. As a group we decided that we were hungry, so we got some Leberkäse (similar to the idea of meatloaf) and Coke. Delicious.

We arrive in the city just in time for a thunderstorm. Here we are hiding under a tree canopy.

The four of us spent the next hour or two walking around the city. We saw the casino, lots of fancy stores, old people dressed ever so fabulously (Baden-Baden is a place where a lot of rich people retire), the Trinkhalle, the Oos River, the baths that the city is famous for, and the Roman bath ruins. The Roman bath ruins were probably my favorite. It's crazy to think this city was founded by Romans almost 2,000 years ago.

Some of the places we saw in Baden-Baden.

The Oos River.

Tree hugging and chillin' by a pretty fountain.

The Roman bath ruins.

After a nice afternoon, we jumped back in the car and headed back to Karlsruhe. We needed to be back by 6 p.m., that way Nacha and Ivanka had time to cook dinner. We dropped the girls off at Nacha's, and then Dan and I headed back to my house to hang out and wait for dinner to be ready.

Much sooner than I expected, the girls called and told us to come on over. As we walked to Nacha's, I couldn't get over how excited Daniel was. Totally cracking me up. In a easy breezy five minutes we made it to the apartment and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. I knocked on the door. I slightly confused why Nacha hadn't opened it already, but figured they must be doing last minute details for dinner.

Then the door opened and all of my friends yelled "SURPRISE!" Oh man, was I totally surprised. I just about died. Before I could get over my shock, everyone started hugging me and telling me happy birthday. I felt so special and loved. I couldn't believe they threw me a surprise party. I've always wanted one. It's more than I could have asked for for this birthday. So much love.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Happy birthday!

Then Nacha, Bernie, and Ivy presented me with my birthday gift: paints, brushes, canvases, candies, a headband, and sunglasses. Such a great present! (Later in the party Albert gave me a present as well... a soccer ball. Oh my, was I excited).

My birthday gifts.

Then Dan's mom appeared with snacks and a cheesecake. All this was added to the snack table, which everyone totally devoured throughout the course of the night. Nacha also made me a cake: my favorite.... ice cream cake! Two cakes for one birthday girl?! Muahaha. So spoiled.

Nacha put three candles in my ice cream cake and lit them, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me (once in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese). I made three wishes and blew out the candles. After that we obviously ate both cakes. Yummmers!

Cake, cake, cake!

Hanging out at eating cake and snacks.

Then everyone just hung out and talked for quite some time while music played in the background. Bernie put on The Beach Boys for awhile, just for me haha. I had my "1st drink"... which was silly of course considering I've been able to drink since October. All the same it meant a lot to me. Now when I go home I will be legal to drink too!

My very "1st" beer.

 While everyone was eating and talking, I made them take part in a ridiculous game. There's no official name for it, but I usually just call it the "Animal Game." The rules are simple. One person has a camera, and the other person is in front of the camera. The person with the camera will call out an animal and then the other person must act like that animal. While they do this the camera person will take a picture. The result is really hilarious pictures. We had a lot of laughs doing this.

The animal game.

 After playing the Animal Game, Daniel brought out another surprise for me: Rootbeer. He knows how much I love it, so he somehow managed to get me some even though it's pretty rare in Germany.  I made a rootbeer float, and ah goodness, it was ah-mazing. Everyone teased me about it though. Rootbeer and rootbeer floats are very, very American. All my friends think rootbeer is too sweet and really gross. I don't care though, I still think it's awesome.

Me and my rootbeer float.

Later we all played Celebrity. For those of you not familiar with this game, I'll give you a little break down of the rules. You have your group sit in a circle. Then everyone gets a post-it note and has to write the name of a celebrity on it. As long as it's someone everyone will be familiar with, it can be anyone who is dead, alive, or fictional. Then you take your post-it note and stick it on the person to your left's forehead. Then you pick one person to start. That person will ask a yes or no question such as, "Am I male or female?" and the group will respond. If the answer is "yes", then that person gets to ask another question. If the answer is "no", then you go to the next person on the left and they get to ask a question. And so on and so forth. Basically you use the questions to figure out who you are. Towards the end of the game people start guessing who they think they are. But caution, once you guess a name, that's your last question! If you get it right you win, if not, you lose. It's a great party game! It was a pretty long round since there were so many of us, be we all had a great time.

Our game of Celebrity.

Ivanka was Edward Cullen.

Not long after our game of Celebrity, hugs were given and goodbyes were said. It was well past midnight at this point and it was time for everyone to be getting home. We took some group pictures before everyone left that totally crack me up, we were quite the hyper bunch.

Theses guys are a crack up.

Feeling the love.

Ahhhhmygawsh. This day was almost perfect. I am so amazed by my friends. And so thankful. They took what I thought was going to be a mediocre birthday and made it amazing. Definitely my best birthday ever! What a great way to start off a year. I feel so blessed and loved. Especially by Nacha, Ivy, Bernie, and Dan. That bunch. They made my day absolutely magical. All my friends did. And for that I am forever grateful. May 30, 2012... a day for the history books. Well. At least my history books.

Kleines Künstlern

Martha, Frieda, and I spend a lot of time together. And a good portion of that time is spent drawing, painting, and craft making. I love this bonding time. It's so great to color alongside them, help them when they need it, and spark their creativity. Art was a really big part of my childhood, and I'm always glad to pass it on to others. Especially in an electronic age when it's more exciting to color on your touch screen than it is to actually get paint on your hands. I love electronics, don't get me wrong, but when it comes down to it... I would rather have a pencil and paper any day. But I'm rambling. Point is, I love all this creativity that the three of us make together. It's been so cool to see how their artistic talent has grown over the months I've been here. I hope even after I go home they continue their desire to be creative. If I could leave one impression on these girls, that would be it. Use that imagination. It's there for a reason.

Now like any proud parent/sibling/etc, I feel the need to show off my favorites of the kiddos ever so awesome artwork. Which you will "ooo" and "ahh" at like the good people I know you are. Or else. (haha).

Martha. First drawing we ever did together. (crayon, marker, and colored pencil)

Frieda. Can you guess what her favorite color is? (watercolor)

Martha. This was during her Harry Potter craze. (marker)

Frieda. "Das ist ein Straße!"(marker)

Martha. She and her friend dressed up as witches trick-or-treating. (colored pencil)

Frieda. (watercolor)

Martha. Part of my Christmas present. (colored pencil)

Frieda. I spy a hand print! (watercolor)

Martha and Frieda. This is a Christmas cat... whatever that is haha. (marker and pencil)

Martha. The Easter bunny on his rounds. (colored pencil and marker)

Frieda. One of my favorites of her drawings. (pen and colored pencil)

Martha. A rainbow! (marker)

Frieda. (colored pencil)

Martha. This is my absolute favorite of Martha's. (watercolor)

Frieda. Reminds me of the world. (watercolor)

Martha. Self portrait of her kayaking. (watercolor and colored pencil)

It's a little ridiculous how proud I am of Martha and Frieda. My little art proteges, aww. Doesn't matter if they never pursue art later in life, I'm glad I was here to nurture love of art early on. Because life without art (or a love of it) would be a dreary place.