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.

Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 4)

Here's part four of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Day Four - January 5th, 2012

Weather:
- Crazy extreme! Cloudy and rainy on one side of the sky (East) and blue skies and sunny on the other (West)
Places:
- Seine River Walk, Place de la Concorde, and Train Station (Gare de l'est)
Events:
- slept in (still felt sick)
- got ready real slow, packed up, checked out, and left luggage at front desk
- went to the Seine River and walked along the river walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Place de la Concorde (after I missed my boat tour, this became my plan B, it turned out to be more fun than a boat tour anyways)
- saw a bunch of statues (mostly war memorials) as I walked
- saw/walked around the Place de la Concorde (the Obelisk was amazing)
- totally nerded out here (my guidebook helped me nerd out a lot the whole trip), but knew I had to get going so I headed towards the nearest metro station
- had another fun encounter with a guy (what is it with these French guys and I??), this time one who got seriously pissed off at me for not wanting to talk to him. fun stuff
- picked up my luggage at the hotel and headed to the train station which was almost right across the street
- got there 30 minutes before my train was to leave, and waited at the correct platform patiently
- little did I know that the platform next to me had my train, because they had switched things around (I didn't know because everything was in French)
- thus I missed my train, waiting at the wrong gate
- my ticket was non transferable, and Johannes and Christiane had warned me not to miss my train no matter what I did. I thought I was prepared for every possibility by coming early, but I wasn't
- I called Christiane, and she told me to talk to the ticket office. This turned into a several hour adventure of dealing with people that spoke very little English along with lots of ticket complications
- finally, once they were all super fed up with me, the ticket office just sent me on a train with a copy of my receipt for a ticket Christiane had bought for me online
- I was mortified that without an official ticket that I was going to be kicked off the train and either be completely stranded in Paris, or in the middle of nowhere
- the ticket master ended up taking pity on me after I was crying on the train while explaining to him why I didn't have a ticket
- he let me stay on the train but I had to pay for the train I would take from Mannheim to Karlsruhe in a few hours. Miraculously I had just enough money for that ticket on me (that's a God moment right there)
- I spent the rest of the evening on trains wallowing and trying not to cry about how miserably such a wonderful trip had come to and end
- I finally got to Karlsruhe Hbf near midnight, and then had to wait a half hour for a Straßenbahn to get me home
- when I finally got home, I dropped everything on the floor, got my pajamas on, and went to bed
Thoughts:
- "Let's Go Europe" (2010) is a great guidebook.
- I love the pop out map of the city that Christiane and Johannes got me. I used it so much. The mini metro map also came in handy a lot!
- I seriously have quite the creeper fan club in Paris. Is this what I get for being blonde?!
- One of Christiane's co-workers got me a Paris moleskine for Christmas. I used it a lot (that's where I jotted down all these notes about my trip). I love it, can't wait to add to it and use it as a reference next time I go to Paris.
- Though I am an over packer as it is, I need to bring along at least a little bit of cold medicine on trips from now on. Never know where and when I (or someone else) will get sick.
- The ominous weather made the Place de la Concorde so intense. I could totally imagine the place full of a blood thirsty crowd, watching people get their heads chopped off by the guillotine. It's so interesting that the Obelisk stands in place of the guillotine now.
- Oh, French people... so frustrating. I really missed my Germans.
Fun Facts:
- Seine River
    ~ It's pretty much brown. Lovely.
    ~ It took me almost 2 hours to amble just a portion of it.
- Place de la Concorde
    ~ Paris's most infamous public square.
    ~ Built between 1757 and 1777.
    ~ During the French Revolution it was named the Place de la Revolution.
    ~ In 1830 it was renamed to it's current name.
    ~ Also in 1830 the Obelisk was placed in the middle.
    ~ The Obelisk was given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt.
Photos: 

It's super faint, but there is a full rainbow in this picture. Amazing that I had a rainbow the day I arrived and the day I left!

Boats on the Seine River.

View of the Eiffel Tower from a bridge over the Seine.

Clouds beginning to loom in the North and East.

It crazy windy! Me on a bridge over the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. As you can see, my firework burn starting to look less gross on this day, but it is definitely going to scar.

I love the character of the types of river boats in Paris.

The Seine River walk. Everything looks so bare and wintery, guess that makes sense haha.

I have no idea what these actually was, all I know is that I immediately thought: the Statue of Liberty's torch.

I love the contrasts in this picture, this is still on the path along the Seine.

This statue had all it's writing in English (I was ever so excited) because it was gifted by American school children to the French after a war (can't remember which war).

Epic view of the Paris Eye, the Obelisk, and the looming storm in the East.

Place de la Concorde... the place of peace, very ironic considering how many people were murdered in this location during the French Revolution.

Me soaking up my last bit of France.

Smiling, so stoked on my trip. Little do I know that I'm about to deal with missing a train and all that comes with that. Fun times.

On this trip I saw and experienced so much, yet I barely made a dent on the list of the many things that I can do there. Amazing. Paris was a city that I had a lot of preconceived notions about. While many of those turned out to be true, many proved false. I would say in this case it was great to be proven wrong.

Paris, keep the lights on for me, I'll visit you again someday!

To relive the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 1)

Well. To state the obvious I am blonde. I am what you would call a "typical" white girl: blonde hair, blue eyes, pale white skin. Now, I love my God given coloring. Though like many people, I do wish to look different a lot of the time. If only my hair looked like hers, if only my eyes looked that startling clear, if only my skin was that lovely... the list goes on.

Here in Germany I've found myself wishing desperately for my hair to grow out in order for me to have long hair, and so that my super blonde dye job goes away and my darker, natural blonde makes a come back. Here my super blonde California locks stick out a little too much to my liking. My natural coloring fits perfectly with many Germans. Sadly my hair goals are faraway from being achieved, so I am stuck with what I have for now. Patience shall be required.

Even with my super blonde locks, I fit in quite well here (until I open my mouth and my poor German skills give me away for being a foreigner). But when I found myself in France at the beginning of this month (my Christmas present from Johannes and Christiane), I truly felt like a sore thumb in a crowd of creamy skinned, dark eyed, dark haired Parisian men and women. I loathe feeling like a tourist, no matter the city, so the desire to blend into the crowd is quite great for me. But that wasn't possible in Paris. Here's part one of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

Day 1 - January 2nd, 2012

Weather: 
- rain, hail, partly cloudy (really cold)
Places:
- Eiffel Tower, Ecole Militaire, Champ de Mars, and Seine River
Events:
- 5:30 a.m. wake up call
- 3 hour train ride (TGV)
- bread for breakfast
- paid to pee at train station (ridiculous)
- found hotel (Hotel Amiot) and checked in (great service)
- settled in and then napped (no sleep night before)
- left to take bus tour, got lost on metro, ended up missing tour
- figured out metro, decided to go to Eiffel Tower
- got a slice of pizza at a "To-Go" cafe
- started pouring rain, then hailed
- double rainbow over Eiffel Tower
- walked along the Seine River (got drenched)
- took a million pictures of, around, by,  and next to Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars, and Ecole Militaire
- waited in huge line to get inside Eiffel Tower (took elevator, not stairs)
- got to see 2nd and 3rd floors (missed out on the 1st by accident)
- amazed by view, but it was crazy cold and windy
- got down and took pics of the tower all lit up at night
- my feet were on fire and I was tired and grumpy, so I decided to go eat
- got lost looking for a specific crepe restaurant (from guidebook), ate two doors down from hotel
- had salad, coke, huge piece of toast with cheese and chicken on top (delish)
- also had a chocolate shake... not as good as In-N-Out's
- went back to hotel, watch part of Season of the Witch on the "English Channel". Weird, weird movie.
- stayed up way too late
Thoughts:
- There is no way to see everything in Paris in 4 days. Best just to pick a few places and enjoy the ride.
- Food in Paris is crazy expensive. (Coke was 4 Euros...)
- Be prepared for all types of weather. So glad for my coat, gloves, scarf, hat, and layers upon layers of clothes and socks.
- There is no such thing as a nice tourist. Be one.
Fun Facts:
- Eiffel Tower:
    ~ Created by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 as tallest building in world.
    ~ Was the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair
    ~ It's 9.90 Euros for a student to take the elevator to the top.
- Ecole Militaire
    ~ Military head quarters during Napoleon's reign.
    ~ Now just used as a court building.
- Champ de Mars
    ~ Named after the Roman god of war.
    ~ Was a drill ground for Napoleon's army.
    ~ Pretty park these days, but it's simple.
- TGV
    ~ It's the fastest train to get you from Germany to France.
    ~ Only takes 3 hours to get from Karlsruhe to Paris,
    ~ Most other trains take double the time of the TGV.
Photos:

My hotel room at Hotel Amiot.

First time I see a full double rainbow and the Eiffel Tower.

Me hanging out in Champs de Mars, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

In front of Ecole Militaire rocking my nasty firework burn.

Just about to get in the enormous line for the Eiffel Tower elevators.

2nd floor of Eiffel Tower.

3rd floor of Eiffel Tower, me bundled up but still freezing.

The epic view from the top.

Yes, that's a lightening rod...

The Eiffel Tower all lit up and fancy smancy.

To continue the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

Deustch Klasse. Take Two.

Hallo, mein Name ist Ashley. Ich komme aus dem USA. Ich bin zwanzig Jahre alt. Mein hobbys sind malen, lesen, und fußall. Ich spreche englisch und ein bisschen deutsch. Wie heißt du? Woher kommst du? Was sind dein hobbys? Was sprichst du?

German. What a language. I speak in it, dream in it, I think in it. It's invading my brain. Sometimes I even forget English words for things because of all the new German vocab I am learning. Languages enthrall me and German is no exception. But geez, this language is kicking my butt. Most of the time I look like a tongued two year old trying to say something. But I take pride in knowing that I have learned a lot and gotten better in the three months that I have been here. Just need to take a deep breath and constantly remember that I am just learning.

When I first arrived in Germany, it became very apparent, very fast that the German I knew so far at that point just wasn't going to cut it. Well. I knew a lot thanks to the wonderful class I took over the Summer. The problem was accessing that info in real life moments. Frieda could communicate better than I could and she's two. I felt beyond dumb. I pride myself on my ability to communicate through my words. Those of you who know me, know that I never shut up. So finding myself in a totally different culture and then not being able to communicate barely at all was beyond frustrating. It was embarrassing. I was beyond relieved when Johannes and Christiane signed me up for German class (deutsch Klasse).

My class was to be from early November to late December, five days a week, four hours a day. I was slightly dreading having to sit that long, especially in the morning. I just don't have that kind of concentration. Too much of a wiggle worm. But I knew it was worth it. I absolutely needed to improve my German. It wasn't an option to back out. I needed this.

The first day of class I walked to the school. VHS Karlsruhe (an adult school) is only a ten minute walk (or a five minute bike ride) from my apartment. I walked up to the big brick building and proceeded to try and push a door that you are supposed to pull. Story of my life. I do this all the time, no matter where I am in the world. I entered the classroom with the usual first day of class jitters. I had already realized that this was a great opportunity to meet some people my age, and I was holding my breath to see who would be in my class. The classroom was small, and the desks were set into a large square in the middle of the room. I sat down near the door next to a girl with lots of curly hair. I watched as each person arrived and wondered about where they were from and why they were here. Then the teacher arrived. And she immediately started talking in German. Come to find out, she only spoke German. I just about died on the spot.

As the days and weeks went by I realized how blessed I was to being take this German class. My teacher, Irene, was super sweet, funny, understanding, and extremely patient. Her speaking only German was the kick in the ass that I needed to force me to speak in German. As for my classmates, they were a blessing too. Once we got into a comfortable groove that most classes fall into, everyone became friends. I adore each one of them. I could go into detail about each of them and how awesome they are, but I won't embarrass them like that haha. It was just so refreshing to have people near my age to relate with and hang out with. Being away from my friends and family back home has been hard. But my classmates have helped alleviate missing home. Through this class, not only did my German improve a whole bunch (along with my confidence in regards to speaking it), I made friends from around the world.

Celebrating Ioana's Birthday! (Top row: Maria and Kush Bottom row: Me, Nacha, Ioana, Gabriel, and Carmina)

Out to coffee on our last day of class. (From the left to right: Irene, Maria, Ioana, Edina, Aryenn, Gabriel, Me, Cindy, and Carmina).

If someone would have told me this time last year what my future held for me I would have laughed at how far fetched it would have sounded. Me, live in Germany, learn German, meet people from all over the world, and see places I have only seen in books? Ha. Yet here I am.

The Boots

Last night I cleaned my boots and left one by the front door and dutifully went to bed "early" like a good little girl. I am sure you are wondering why I would do this. Isn't it obvious? Sankt Nikolaus was coming, and I had to be prepared!

My very clean boot.

I can bet most of my American readers are very confused as of this moment. As for my German readers, they know exactly what I am talking about (duh). Shall I explain for the clueless out there?

When I think "Sankt Nikolaus" (Saint Nicholas... in English) I come up with two thoughts. One being of a big, jolly man in a red suit who comes and brings me presents on Christmas Eve. The other being the legend surrounding the actual Saint Nicholas, and all his kind deeds hundreds of years ago. But most Americans would only think of the first thought. Because Saint Nicholas and Santa are one in the same for us. But, this is not so in Germany.

Germans give Sankt Nikolaus a whole holiday all to himself. And the Weihnachtsmann (literally translates as "Chrismas man") gets a whole holiday to himself as well. Because they are different people! Nikolaus was an actual man who became a saint in the Catholic Church; while the Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus) is not a real person, but just an embodiment of the Christmas spirit and a great way to bring joy to little kids, and parents, across the country. So Sankt Nikolaus day is on the 6th of December, and the Weihnachtsmann gets to spread his holiday cheer on 25th of December.

How this holiday works is that on the night of December 5th, you grab your boots and scrub them clean. Then, you put them on your doorstep with some milk and cookies. And if you have been good this year, Sankt Nikolaus will come in the middle of the night and fill your boot with candies and sometimes small presents. Then of course when you wake up in them morning you run to the front door to see what you have received. As you can tell this is a kid centered holiday in many aspects. The fun for the parents comes in another form. Usually if you have a party on or near the 6th of December, Sankt Nikolaus will show up. He will then read off all the naughty things the children in the room have done this year. Then the children are expected to sing a song or recite a poem to curry his favor. If they do well, all is forgiven and they get goodies. If not, Sankt Nikolaus' helper will swat you with a birch stick. Of course, all in good fun. Usually the parents get a good kick out of the kids squirming and trying to deny their bad deeds of the year.

So last night, Martha, Frieda and I cleaned our boots and set them in front of our front doors. We also prepared a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. All in the hopes that we had been good enough little girls this year and cleaned our boots well enough to receive candy. Then we went to bed early like good little girls should. (I must confess I didn't go to bed early. Shame on me...).

Martha and Frieda's boots. Along with the milk and cookies.

This morning I hopped out of bed (an unusual occurrence) and swung open my front door. There stood my boot. Full of chocolate. I was so excited! Before I closed the door, I noted that the girls had already grabbed their own boots. Typical. I hopped back into bed and gleefully dumped out the contents of my boot. All chocolate. Then, like the "grown up" that I am, I had to get ready for German class. I sadly couldn't linger over the awesomeness of the morning.

My boot and my loot.

I just got back from class and thoroughly enjoyed a few pieces of my chocolate. I want to make these last me till Christmas (when I will be getting more chocolate), but I doubt that will happen. Chocolate is just too good to resist.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

My great-grandmother lived into her nineties and died when I was in Jr. High. So I have a lot of solid memories of her. The first few things that come to mind when I think of her are: poodles, piano, Lamb Chop, and turkeys. An odd assortment to be sure. But they all are associated with very strong memories of her. Poodles because she always had a pet poodle before she got moved into a nursing home. I remember taking them for walks with her. Piano because she is the first person who taught me how to play. She would make me put my hand on the Bible and pray before we ever played anything. Lamb Chop is a special one because it is my very first memory. When I was two-years-old she gave me a Lamb Chop stuffed animal for Christmas. My very first memory is of holding that stuffed animal and thinking how absolutely wonderful it was. Turkeys. Well that one just makes me laugh. In her later years I remember her starting to tease me at Thanksgiving by going: "What does a turkey say Ashley? Gobble, gobble, gobble!" It never failed to make me laugh. She was just so silly. So, whenever I think of Thanksgiving now, the first thing that comes to mind is a gobbling turkey and my great-grandma. Which always makes me smile.

As November rolled around this year I was starting to get slightly heartbroken. I couldn't handle the thought that I had just missed out on Halloween and now would be missing out on Thanksgiving too. That's like half the holiday season right there. It made me super homesick thinking about all the fun I was missing out on. Now, of course, I had made my own sort of Halloween here in Germany. I was determined to do the same thing for Thanksgiving. I knew it would help me not focus on being so homesick. So I asked Christiane if I could make dinner for her and the family on Thanksgiving Day. She said okay, and I immediately got to planning.

I of course went to my trusty aid (Google) and went searching for Thanksgiving recipes. And my Grandma Marmion gave me me a couple to choose from. I soon found all that I was looking for and started to make a shopping list so that Christiane and I could get all that was needed.

My Original Menu

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Stuffing

3. Turkey

4. Green Bean Casserole

5. Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

6. Salad

7. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

After a few trips to a couple different stores it became apparent that I wasn't going to be able to get my hands on certain American products. Many we could find a substitute (like using sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil), but many there were just no substitutes for. Like pumpkin puree. So I had to switch up my menu a bit.

My Official Menu

1. Apple Pie (couldn't find pumpkin puree)

 2. Stuffing

3. Chicken (not a turkey in sight)

4. Green Bean Casserole (I ended up having to make my own French onions for the top)

5. Sweet Potatoes with "Marshmallows" (we had to resort to the German version of them which were pink) (this is my Grandma's recipe, so unlike the others it has no link to the actual recipe)

6. Cranberry Salad

(note: I vetoed the mashed potatoes and gravy considering we didn't want to be eating too many potatoes)

Thanksgiving came. And then all of the sudden I realized that I was cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself. And I don't consider myself the most amazing cook. I just about died of laughter at that moment as I realized that I had actually decided to take on something this ludicrous.

Unlike most afternoons, I didn't have to watch the girls. I spent the whole afternoon and early evening cooking away like fiend.

Now, I know you are thinking, "Ashley, you just had to follow some very simple recipes!" Well, let me remind you of these two facts: 1. I was the only one cooking 2. I had to convert from the imperial system to the metric system 3. I somehow always manage to screw up even with a recipe. I just had to trust that my "instincts" would kick in and I wouldn't totally fail at making this dinner turn out yummy.

Towards the end of my cooking Christiane hopped in to help me with the last few things (she pretty much made the sweet potatoes). While she was sitting at the kitchen table mashing sweet potatoes, I was in the kitchen confronting a dead chicken. A dead chicken with it's legs still attached. I was thinking some very vegetarian thoughts looking at that thing. I mean it still had some of it's feathers! Gross. All I could think was back in high school biology when I had to dissect a frog and it turned out to have like hundreds of frog spawn in it's abdomen. Ugggh I will never wipe that image from my brain. Thankfully Johannes stepped in and then prepared and cooked it for me.

With Johannes and Christiane's help I was able to pull it all together and serve my German family a authentic American Thanksgiving dinner. They loved all the food! Johannes enjoyed the homemade French onions the best. Christiane really like several of the dishes; especially the stuffing. And Martha and Frieda devoured the apple pie.

Me and my creations.

I came away from the day extremely tired, but extremely proud of myself and my achievement. I fell asleep right as my head hit the pillow. And no. I didn't have any dreams of gobbling turkeys. Although, that would have been pretty awesome.

10 Things I Love About You

One of the big questions that my friends and family have all been asking me is: "What's the family like?" I have of course shared with them my thoughts and cute little stories. For the past few weeks I have been pondering how I wanted to write a blog post about them. I came up with several ideas, but none of them ever sat well with me. So I kept thinking. Finally this week I decided what I wanted to do. I would give a list of ten things I love about each member of the family. You may find that the things I love aren't things you typically love. I love the things that make them, them. And the things that I see God's hand working. He has so much in store for this family. So these lists are to give you a broad scope of who they are without getting too wordy or getting too personal on the internet. So without further ado, I give you my four lists! Enjoy.

Johannes (dad)
1. He tells pirate jokes and finds them extremely funny.
2. He loves to cook (and the food is so yummy!).
3. He is super smart in ways that I am not (math and science).
4. He has the funniest laugh which can actually be described as a "snicker."
5. He is a fun and caring father.
6. He has a habit of forgetting where he puts things.
7. He enjoys taking care of all the plants we have in the kitchen and on the balcony.
8. He is quiet and introverted (and isn't really a fan of large parties).
9. He is tall and wears shoes twice my size.
10. He is funny (and not on purpose sometimes... he has the greatest facial expressions).

Christiane (mom)
1. She is considerate of everyone around her.
2. She has this habit of tucking her flyway hairs behind her ears frequently.
3. She is so smart and witty.
4. She takes joy in the little things (like wearing bright colors in the wintertime when everything is colorless).
5. She is a devoted and caring mother.
6. She can multitask amazingly well (juggling work, a hubby, kids, an au pair, and a household is no easy task).
7. She is honest in her opinions.
8. She loves to talk and is a great story teller (and I love listening to her).
9. It's a rare thing to seen her in jeans/pants; she usually wears tights with a skirt or a dress.
10. She likes to get my opinions and thoughts on things.

Martha (kid)
1. She is sassy and loves to banter with me (broken German and facial expressions as of now haha).
2. She has a wonderful imagination (today we were pretending to be circus performers).
3. She makes me attend "school" and teaches me German words, math, and cursive.
4. She is so smart and clever.
5. She is creative (you should see all her drawings).
6. She is a leader.
7. She and I are ridiculously alike (I see a 7 year old me in her).
8. She is independent.
9. She is stubborn.
10. She adores all things Harry Potter and is always talking about the books.

Frieda (kid)
1. She is stubborn and we battle over the most ridiculous things (yes, I fight with a two year old).
2. She gives the most enthusiastic hugs ever.
3. She has a very specific way of tucking her hair behind her ears when it gets in her face.
4. She is utterly sweet (when she wants to be).
5. She sings "Mamma Mia" songs (in a mix of German, English, and nonsense) all the time.
6. She is fierce, and ready to take the world by storm.
7. She tries to steal things from my room (most notably my bathmats and picture frames).
8. She is independent.
9. She and I make faces at each other whenever we catch each other's eye contact.
10. She thinks everything is hers (much to everyone else's exasperation).

Die drei Hexen

As an American, if you take a step back from our culture you will find that Halloween is a pretty strange holiday. I mean, come on, think about it. We dress up and go door to door asking strangers for candy, we create creepy houses that are meant to scare us on purpose, and we aren't really celebrating anything in particular. Weird? Most definitely. But fun? You bet.

I was really sad that I couldn't celebrate Halloween here in Germany. People have tried to start it up here, but it hasn't really caught on. Christiane told me that it is such a unique American tradition that it would have a hard time really catching on in other cultures. Which totally makes sense. But even though I couldn't really celebrate like usual, I was determined to celebrate in my own way.

I woke up on Halloween morning really excited. As I styled my hair and makeup crazily, I formulated a plan for the day. It was to be a day full of crafts, dress up, and pumpkin carving.

Martha was on Fall holidays (Yeah. They get a week off just because it's Fall. Why didn't they have this when I was in school?!). And because of the holidays she had her best friend Carlotta (from Freiburg) over for a couple days. The house was full of a lot of energy and happiness, perfect atmosphere for a holiday!

When I walked in the apartment the girls pronounced that I looked like a witch (we talk of nothing in this house but Harry Potter these days). I personally was going for the 80's vibe, but I was totally stoked to be a witch if that's what the girls wanted. They liked my hair and makeup so much that they begged me to do the same for them. I obliged of course. I got the biggest giggle out of the finished product. Big, ratted, poofy hair. Dark brown eyeshadow and some mascara (Johannes thought they looked like vampires haha). Martha got the idea to dress themselves up in "witch costumes." They ended up looking much more wild than I did. But utterly adorable of course.

My 1980's/witch "costume"

The morning and early afternoon consisted of lots of playing pretend. The house was not just anyplace, it was Hogwarts. Martha was Professor McGongall and Carlotta was Hermione. I was not allowed to join in, but I got the biggest kick out of watching them. While they played, I set up different crafts. When they needed a break from playing they would come and do a craft with me. We made ghost windchimes, mason jar lanterns, halloween themed pictures, and paper plate monster masks. Both Martha and Carlotta did an amazing job! I love how all the crafts turned out.

Our ghost wind chimes.

My ghost lantern.

Martha's pumpkin lantern.

Carlotta's lantern.

Martha's drawing of her and Carlotta as witches.

Our paper plate monster masks.

In mid afternoon Frieda came home from Kindergarten with Johannes in tow. She, unlike Martha, didn't have Fall holidays. All five of us spent the rest of the afternoon outside soaking up the nice crisp Fall weather. Frieda scooted up and down the street on her "bike" (it doesn't have pedals), while Martha whizzed around on her unicycle, and Carlotta tailed behind on roller blades. Johannes and I were pretty much just there for moral support (and to make sure they didn't get run over). For awhile I held Carlotta's hand to help her with her balance, but soon she was zooming around without my assistance. And gosh, I must say I am so impressed with Martha. She has balance I will never have. My disastrous self will not be riding a unicycle anytime soon. But she on the other hand, can fly down the street and turn around and come back without falling. Martha did take a couple spills, but she knows how to fall properly. She definitely did get frustrated towards the end of the afternoon when her falls became more frequent, but with some encouragement from Johannes and I she kept at it. Totally proud of her!

After our romps outside, my little witches and I decided to go buy ourselves a pumpkin. We tromped down to the local supermarket with the girls chattering away the whole walk there. We searched the store but came up empty handed. All the big pumpkins were gone! So the next best thing was to pick out three mini pumpkins and hope that we would be able to carve them. While we were in the check out line, I realized we were garnering quite a bit of attention. I mean, it must be a rare thing two have three witches walk into a supermarket (haha). The checkout guy looked up when he took my money and his mouth just hung open. It was all I could do to not bust up laughing right then and there.

Once we got home we went straight to work. Carving pumpkins is of course serious business. I covered three areas of the kitchen table with newspaper and got out the knives. Yes, I let seven-year-olds handle knives. I (along with Christiane and Johannes) helped them of course! We don't need missing fingers thank you very much! Frieda then decided that she wanted to join in on the fun. Thankfully we just happened to have a extra mini pumpkin lying around the house.

Bernard the pumpkin (my creation).

After some serious carving time, the pumpkins were complete. I got the votive candles and all three girls set the pumpkins out on the balcony and lit them. They took out our lanterns too. As it grew darker and darker the lights became more and more distinct. It was so pretty and eery all at once.

Our creations!

After dinner Martha and Carlotta came to my room to tell me they were going trick-or-treating. I laughed. I figured that was going to be something I missed out on this year. Well, I figured wrong. Christiane, myself, and the two girls headed out into the night to go to Christiane's office. Two of her co-workers were still there so that's were we were we would get our treats.

It was a chilly night and I was thankful I had thrown on a scarf and sweater. We walked for a good fifteen minutes and actually ran across a few other trick-or-treaters. When we arrived at the office, the excitement was running high. The girls rang the doorbell and announced "treat-or-treat!" to Christiane's co-workers. Lots of smiles and laughter followed. We stayed and talked for a few minutes and then we were off again. The girls of course got candy and were utterly happy. Christiane surprised me with a Twix bar. So even I got candy. Which made me really happy too!

Me, ridiculously excited that I got to go trick-or-treating.

Over all it was a great, very eventful day. It may not have been the usual Halloween for me, but I enjoyed myself all the same. Halloween with a German twist... what a treat!