An evening with the girls

The girls of the evening....Marlo, Ashley, Me and Jaclyn

Just like old times....now just a little older

Senior picture pose ;)

Jac and I

On the way out of the restuarant before the 'throw down'

Jaclyn tackling me in the snow

I then tackeled her after a quick ride the car and we made up

Taking down Ashley next

One more time in the deep stuff....snow angels

It just so happened that I wore clothes that the snow really stuck to

Sunday Jen, Tyce, and Teagan gave me a ride to Billings so that I could make my flight back to Chicago Monday morning. The great thing about flying in and out of Billings is that I get a chance to see a couple of my bestest buds from high school, Marlo and Ashley. It is great because although we may only see each other once or twice a year we always pick up where we left off and enjoy every minute of it even if it is only a short while. We spent the afternoon with all the kids and then were able to sneak away for a couple hours for a little girl time. Marlo, Ashely, Marlo's younger sister, Jaclyn and I went out to dinner and then had a little fun in the new EXTREME snowfall that Billing was getting that day. Before dinner we I had mentioned that we were going to make snow angels after dinner and no one opposed. Little did I know that when leaving the restaurant, Jaclyn give her camera to Ashley in order to capture herself tackling me to the ground. It started a fun domino of events in the snow. Marlo was luck that she had hurt her knee earlier that day falling in the snow and we were considerate enough not to cause her more injury. We were home early but it was a great time with close friends, in a familiar part of the country, visiting about new happenings and reminiscing about the old. I love and cherish forever friends.

Thanksgiving Weekend with Zach and Fam

Zach, Jen, Tate, Tycelee, and Teagan

The Puzzle

Tate, Tyce, Teagan and I

Teagan showing off evidence of her Tyce's secret tatoo parlor.....blame it on Auntie

The girls....Tyce, sister Jenny, Teagan, me, sister-in-law Jen, and Ainsley

Auntie and the kiddos....Teag, Tate, Ains, and Tyce

Me and smiley Ains

Despite the change in plans, I had a fun time with Zach and Jen and my neices and nephews. We played games, watch movies, made food, and visited. Very layed back. It was nice just to wear my sweats around and not have to really get ready for anything. I gave the kids their christmas presents early, so they had alot of fun trying them out. Tate learned the how to do Mad Libs and loved the funny stories they made while learning about adjectives and nouns. Tycelee and Teagan made cards for everyone with the card making kit. At one point while I was doing a little school work and Jen was painting, Tyce and Teagan decided to plaster themselves in the tatoos that auntie had provided. (They apparently did believe in saving some for later :) )

We also kept busy for a couple days on a very difficult puzzle that turned out to be quite addicting. It was left out and when ever we passed the table we could sit down and work on it a little bit. It was fun because we all pitched in and a couple times just Zach and I were sitting there working on it while the kids ran around the house.

On Saturday afternoon, Jenny, Brock and their daughter Ainsley drove through on their way to Boise. It was great to hangout with them for at least one night. I hadn't seen Ainsley since she was 2 months old so it was so fun to get to hold her, play with her and give her some lovins.

I love having a bunch of us in one house: playing games, running around, cooking, visiting, and just hanging out. Family time, much needed.

Thanksgiving Weekend a little different than planned

With plans of going back to Scobey to spend the weekend with my parents, sister and her family, and brother, Levi, and his family, I woke up at 3:30a.m. Thanksgiving morning to hop a plan to Billings, Montana. The plan was to have a 45 minute layover in Denver and make it to Billings by 9:30am. Upon arrival my other brother, Zach, and his family were going to drive over from Bozeman just to see me and have brunch before I drove 5 hours up to Scobey. Little did I know that this was not the way it would go. It all started when we were on the plane in time to take off at 6:00 am only to find out that there was little mechanical error that took an hour and half to get situated. By the time we finally took off, I knew that I was going to miss my connecting flight. Knowing that there was nothing I could do and holding back my emotions, I awaiting landing before I tried to figure out what I was going to do. It may not normally be as big of a deal to miss a flight like this but we are talking “flying to MONTANA” where only a couple flights go out a day, not to mention it was Thanksgiving day and all flights were pretty much full. When I landed, I found out Levi and his family weren’t going to make the trek to Scobey because all the roads were closed around them due to a big snow storm. Zach then informed me that they wouldn’t make it over to Billings either. He suggested that I maybe just see if they would reroute me to Bozeman and I could just stay with them just in case I couldn’t make it up to Scobey. What to do, what to do. Plans of seeing all my family were tossed to the way side. Still undecided, I waited in the customer service line for a half hour in order to get my new flight info. When I got up to the desk, they had already booked me a flight to Billings but it didn’t leave until 6:00pm. The girl next to me was going to Billings too but it was her final destination for the weekend; They didn’t pre-book her and there were no flights left, so they were going to send her to Bozeman. Well, my decision was made. I told them to give her my ticket and I would go to Bozeman. After all the paperwork was completed, I made my choked up phone calls to everyone to tell them the change in plans.
I arrived in Bozeman around 3:15, in time to go to my sister-in-law’s parents house for Thanksgiving dinner. Although I was very sad I wasn’t going to get home, I was very glad to still be able to spend the weekend with some family. The hardest part of it all is that I usually only make it home once a year and when I do I need to see as many people as possible. So this trip didn’t quite work out that way and I wasn’t sure when the next time would be. Despite all of that, I had a good time with Zach and his family, got to see my sister and her family on their drive through Bozeman, back to Boise, and got to spend an evening with my bestest buds from high school. It was just the beginning of the trip and the end that made it a little dramatic and unpleasant. I had the joy of getting the flu yesterday morning before getting on the plane back to Chicago. Puking on an airplane is one of the worst travel experiences you can have. I had a 3 hour layover in Denver so I was at least able to rest up on the airport floor in between flights of sitting up straight, through stomach cramps and nausea. It took quite a bit for me to make it through the day and 10 hours later, I stumbled through my front door, dropped my bags and crawled in to bed. I needed some rest since I had to work at 11 the next day. Hmmmmm…..maybe this trip just wasn’t quite meant to be ;)

A dream surrendered so easily would not be a dream worth dreaming

Yesterday, one door to an incredible dream, that has been open for the last 6 months, was closed. When the news came over a kind email and phone call, a feeling of shock and process engulfed my body. I was disappointed, yet not fully defeated. Something that took that long and got that far couldn’t possibly be over? I was a little angry, I was sad, I was confused, but yet a part of me was still calm, cool, and collected. Part of me felt a little stupid and naive for thinking it was really a possibility but another part still feels like it is possible and it isn’t over yet. I guess all of this is the part of the process I hate; explaining to people the let down. It's easier just not to tell anyone what you are pursuing so you don't have to tell them when you fail.
Ok, ok….some of you may be a little confused because this project has remained somewhat of a secret for the last 8 months, so I suppose it is time for me to reveal it. Here goes…the somewhat condensed version…. In April, I was seeking a little bit more creativity in my life. I was bored with my job, I wasn’t doing much cooking at home for fun and my travel was put on hold due to financial reasons and the fact that for the first time in 4 years I actually had a job that I had to punch in and out of and couldn’t just pick up and take off whenever I felt like it. I have a passion for travel, food and culture, and after watching the movie Julia and Julia, a (what I thought was brilliant) idea popped into my head. What if I did a blog on travel, food, and culture? I could go to all these countries in the world or the cultural communities in the States and write about all the different cultural foods and how to cook them. I told my brother of the idea and he suggested doing it but also filming it, sort of like a documentary. Hmmmmm……there was the spark. Well, it just so happens that my roommate is an editor for a large TV production company so I proposed the idea to her and asked if she wanted to be a part of it. She was all in and the ball was rolling. We wrote up a proposal in great detail and depth explaining the idea and formatted it for submission to a big TV Network. The idea is about travel, food, and culture and is written in extremely more detail and depth but I still can’t reveal that just yet ;) At the end of May, the proposal was submitted. Within a matter of two days, we received word that the submission was received and some legal documents needed to be signed in order to move forward. Also some film was requested so they could fully review the proposal, see what I looked like, and make sure I was able to talk on camera. There was a fair warning though, that other ideas of this nature had been submitted as well. With contacts being made and sample filming requested, Sari and I set out in Chinatown to do some raw footage and put something together. The next few months were the filming process but on November 3rd, we finally handed in some final footage. Then the waiting game began yet again. Without any contact received in almost 3 weeks, we were hoping that no news was good news. I guess it sort of was. We had already gotten this far and the lady on the development team was always quick to respond. So on Monday, we sent a follow up email requesting any feedback or thoughts. An interesting email came yesterday saying that our email had excellent timing and she was waiting until after a meeting “on new projects” was completed because our project was on the agenda. COOL!!!! They were talking about it in a meeting! She requested that Sari call her when she got a minute. Sort of a bit confusing….anyway….the first thing she said was “Becky is so cute!” I guess that’s a good sign ;) Then she reminded us that there were other submissions similar that they had “passed” on and after careful review they weren’t going to pursue further development on our idea at this time. BAM! There it was. Done. Weird…..such a long process and such a quick end. Still a little frazzled and confused by it all.
With all that said, I strangely don’t feel like it’s over. It just didn’t work out in what was seeming to be the easiest manner and now another route is going to have to be pursued. I’m not quite sure what that is yet but my eyes and ears are open. I can usually sort of tell when I need to let something go but for this, it’s not time yet. I’m not sure what it would look like but something is going to happen with all of this. I can’t close the book. I can’t surrender the dream. If it was surrendered so easily it would not have been worth dreaming. So for now one door was closed but thankfully it’s in a room full of doors. I just need to figure out which one will let me in.

Sneek Peek at 2011 Season of "Where in the world is Becky Bowler?"

I believe the game of “Where in the world is Becky Bowler?” is going to take another spin but to what degree? Come on people! You know me, I’m all over the place. I once told a dear friend that I think I have a problem that I don’t feel like I fit anywhere but she turned it around on me and it made perfect sense…I fit everywhere. BUT fitting everywhere doesn’t mean I’m happy everywhere. Chicago is another stone on my path and I have sort of known and most recently strongly realized it isn’t a place I want to be much longer. The somewhat dangerous part is that my trip back to Germany reconfirmed my love for the place and now my mind is wandering and plotting a possible return. My first hope is still to get mine and Sari’s project up and running but it is the waiting stage and I don’t want to put my life on hold for something that would be just short of a marvel if it occurred. SO…..a new focus has somewhat spontaneously but easily started to bloom. After returning from Germany and having a concern about how hard it was for me to leave again and to come back to a place I couldn’t even really call home, I started brainstorming. If I could make money I would move back to Heidelberg in a heart beat so how could I do that. Well, when I was there last, I sort of discounted the idea of teaching English because you needed a certificate and it takes a couple months to get. BUT I forgot that I didn’t discount it because I didn’t want to do it, I discounted it because I didn’t have that kind of time. I needed a job IMMEDIATELY! So now, I have time and I looked into it. A piddley idea that started Wednesday morning turned into “me signed up for a class that starts on Monday” by the end of the night on Wednesday. I was pretty sad and a little depressed the first day and half of my return but there was a night and day shift in my energy and attitude the moment I made the decision. And it fell into place so easily. Again, I would still LOVE for my project with Sari to work out but if not, I am on the road to a possible return to Germany early next spring. Only God knows…….Which is it gonna be and where will the next episode of “Where in the world is Becky Bowler?” take us? Stay tuned!

Back in Chicago

After a car ride, 4 flights (the last 2 delayed), 2 trains, a bus and 24 hours of door to door travel, I am back at the apartment in Chicago after a great trip in Germany. I best get some rest for a big day of work tomorrow. No time wasted, right? Guten Nacht!

Sad trip back to Chicago

After trying unsuccessfully to get a few hours of sleep, the alarm went off and it was time to again pack up my things, leave another place I once called home and to sadly say goodbye to my closest friend once again. The trip to the airport was pretty quiet, driving through the dark and rain and we made it in plenty of time. After lots of hugs and tears streaming down my face, I did my last wave to Caro and made my way to the airport gate. It is all so familiar. It’s always so exciting to visit friends and family but it goes by way to fast and then comes the inevitable sad goodbyes. The not-so-nice lady at the ticket counter seemed very annoyed with my unorganized check-in but she toned down her inappropriate attitude a little bit after she saw that I couldn’t really talk nor hold back tears again after a couple minutes into the interaction. I should have taken advantage of the opportunity and tried to cry my way into getting bumped to first class. Dang! Why didn’t I think of that earlier? Before getting to my gate, I picked up a little german chocolate and a book to encourage me to keep up on my German learning and take a little bit of the country back with me. Eat Pray Love is one of my most favorite books and they just happened to have the German version available so I figured what a better book than this since I know the story so well and can sort of figure out what is being said while reading it in German. Just might take me a little longer :) Oh well, I’ve never been a very fast reader anyway. I wonder if they have Cliff-notes ;)
Thankfully, I slept on the first plane, not only because we were sitting on the plane on the ground for an hour and a half before taking off but I was exhausted and it also helped distract me from being so sad. On my second flight now, I have the pleasure of sitting next to Paul Bunyan who just recently finished his second tray of lunch and is now again sprawled out, sleeping with a few crumbs of food in his beard (perhaps for later), his huge legs cramped up to the seat in front of him, and a sock across his eyes held on by one of those sleeping eye covers that rubberband around your head. I’m anxious to see the marks it leaves on his face when he wakes up and takes it off. Awww…cheap entertainment.
I did sleep for an hour though and now I am reminded again that I am sadly going back across the ocean to the states and boy, do I look hot :) I just know I am gonna meet the man of my dreams in day old clothes, distorted sleep hair, swollen eyes, and no makeup. At least then he has something to look forward to, right? Oh well, I am at least able to sit here with sad and happy tears and write a review of the great time I had in Germany and look over the 300+ pictures I took. Lots of hugs, laughs, food, german learning, and memories; a little scar on my hand from my favorite crazy cat; and Sara Barielles will now be a little heart wrenching to listen to but for great reason. I still have another two flights until I reach my final destination, but 4 flights and 24 hours door to door travel back to Chicago is still absolutely worth the trip. A piece of my heart still sits in Heidelberg and always will.

(****Note to Caro**** Ich vermisse dich schon und Ich liebe dich sehr mit alle mein hertz! Danke fuer alles. Ich kann meine leben ohne dich nicht ausmalen. Tschussi aber nur vorerst. Bis drei monate!)

Back to a crazy work day tomorrow but very much looking forward to a trip back home to Scobey to spend time with my whole fam! I’m sure there will be lots of pictures and stories to come. Until next time….aufwiedersehen.

Last day in HD :( but in the moment

Post for NOVEMBER 14th:
Caro on our regular river run "I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth" :)

Awesome view of the Heidelberg Castle and Old Bridge as we run on the trail

Sunset from the Old Bridge Crossing and entering the main area of the city from the Old bridge

One of the busy downtown streets, good thing there was a Staff person there to manage the crowd ;)

From the Castle grounds at night, over looking the city

I

Heart

HD :)

Leave tossing on the castle grounds....me, nadine and caro

Caro and I on the castle night

The crew going to the castle on last night....me, nadine, michi, and caro

SchafsKaese cooking for dinner

Saturday night, We ended up staying at Suse and Christoff’s house in Karlsruhe, so had to get up and take the train back to Heidelberg. We actually dropped off in Leimen to pick up Caro’s mom’s car for our trip to the airport the next morning. When I say we dropped off, I mean we hopped off at the closest train station and made our 30 minute “walk of shame” in our (well me anyway) last night’s clothes, through the streets, a little mud, trails and drive ways to the house. At least the weather was AMAZING! The sun was shining and the climate was t-shirt and short weather. (Tight jeans, an accessory scarf, and calf-high boots wasn’t really what I planned enjoying the walk in but the company was good and the fresh air refreshing.) We made it in time for another one of my favorite most memorable German times. We sat at the table and visited with her parents over a breakfast of fruit, bread, jam, honey, egg, and tea. One tradition I love that will never die is actually sitting around the table with family and friends for meals. This time it reminded me of the many times that we did this same thing when I first moved to Heidelberg last year. After breakfast, we made our way back into Heidelberg and threw on our running clothes to enjoy the weather. We did a little run walk by the river and through the main street. I brought my camera this time so I could capture it all. If only pictures could capture ambiance, real views, and heartfelt feelings. Time in the moment……which again would not have been the same without stopping at Caro’s Gelato place for a scoop of ice cream. By the way she knows the entire staff and all there is to know of the place, you would think she knew them forever but NO, it just opened this last year and she just may have been there a few times ;) Great stuff! After our run/walk around the city, I made another batch of Caro’s fave pumpkin bars so she would have some after I left and we showered and got ready while waiting for Nadine to stop by. We had coffee and pumpkin bars before taking a night trip up to the Heidelberg castle. I hadn’t been up there on this trip yet so it had to be done. We picked up another friend, Michi, and drove up a familiar running hill to the side of the mountain where the castle stood. The International Film Festival was going on up there so we had some fun taking crazy pics in front of the lit up signs. The view of the city from up there is beautiful and it was a great time of pictures, walking around the castle grounds, and enjoying the warm fall evening. After the photo shoot, we made SchafsKaese (sheep cheese, another familiar food of mine there) and sat and visited over dinner. After dinner Caro and I spent one last moment chilling out, looking at pictures from all that we did in the last week, and visiting before we had to say goodbye in the morning. 4:30am was coming way too soon :(

Basketball and Griechin

NOVEMBER 13th:
my souvenier little matting sign that translates into Fruit Vegetables

My trip to Germany just wouldn’t be complete without another basketball game and my favorite Greek experience at a great Greek restaurant with the same company. Saturday, we rode with Suse to Karlsruhe where she lives and we stopped into see her boyfriend, Christoff, at his hair shop before walked around the square a little. This is where I picked up my one and only souvenir of sorts at one of the shops. So cute and special; I love it and can’t wait to keep it in my kitchen, when I get my own one day (whenever that may be :)) For now it will sit on my shelf as a memory. Around 6 we drove to Kircheim-Tek about an hour away for a basketball game. Since Caro’s dad played basketball in Germany and her brother does now, it is a big part of their family life. I’m glad I enjoy sports myself so it’s pretty easy to join in on the b-ball happenings. Caro’s friend, Ade, plays for Kircheim-Tek and they were playing Bayern-Muenchen who has a few of the national players on the team and is coached by the National coach. It was an awesome game; very eventful and stayed pretty close the whole time. After the game we made our way back to Karlsruhe to my fave Greek restaurant as always with Caro, Suse, Christoff, and his brother Alex. The guys are so funny and always teach me crazy German words. We always have a dinner of laughs, sillyness, and the same good food. For some reason, I am always so distracted that I never get pics. Sorry :(

Trip to France and an evening with German food and friends

Post for NOVEMBER 12th:

Coffee for the road....driver concentration

passenger enjoyment

our GPS we were on the right track

road trippin!

little french girl at the bakery

in front of Stassburg Cathedral

Pflammkuchen

At z-Marche

Caro happy in the bakery

Nadine and Suse prepping the Kartoffel Suppe

Our onion cutter with water in her mouth to help prevent crying. unfortunately it doesn't keep you from cutting your hand though.

Dampfnudeln Kochen

The girls of the night....Nadine, Me, Caro and Suse

Potato soup with creme fraisch and sprouts and dampfnudeln

Dampfnudeln with vanilla sauce

Friday morning Caro and I hopped in the car for a day trip to Strassburg, France. It is only a couple hours away and is a cute little place with shops, cafes, and beautiful architecture. My first trip to France :) Our GPS of written map quest directions and Caro’s i-phone helped us to successfully get there around noon. The signage on the autobahn isn’t really the most clearly stated. Seems as though every trip we have taken has led us to a couple “turn-arounds” in order to stay on track. It’s all good. Adam Lambert kept us entertained quite a few times as well as a few other songs that I’m surprised I can’t think of right now. ….over and over, gotta love the radio. In Strassburg, we strolled around town, through the beautiful cathedral, through a couple French Marche and were unfortunately disappointed by a pflammkuchen that the area is famous for. Apparently it is usually really good and you can get it at most restaurants there but the place we decided to stop into made a different type of sauce that neither Caro nor I really cared for so much. A little bit like creamy cheese mixed with uncooked egg…..right? sounds yummy, huh? Pflammkuchen is a very thin crust pizza with rahm (like a sour cream, or in our case creamy egg something) and then other ingredients like onion, bacon, and cheese. All in all, it was an experience worth having. After lunch we check out a few clothes shops and a couple patisseries before grabbing some sweet treats to take back to Caro’s parents. We made our way back through the drizzle and stopped in Leimen for coffee at her parents and while she ran to a quick appointment I sat and visited with Anke, brushing up on my German speaking some more. Very treasured times. Then it was time for us to get back into Heidelberg because we had plans to cook some traditional German food with friends. An originally planned group of 4 turned into a group of 12 and there we were eating Dampfnudeln, Kartoffel Suppe, and Vanilla Sousa in a kitchen I like to still pretend is mine. Gotta love a full kitchen with good food and good company. Nadine provided us with all the goods and I watched (with a small partaking) Nadine and Suse make this German delight, oh, and Caro chopped the onions. Dampfnudeln is a big ball of dough, sort of like making a soft dinner roll. Then they are cooked by placing water, butter and salt (or sugar depending on the sauce) in the bottom of the pan, then the dough ball on top of that and covering it so the bottom gets crusty and the top is steamed to cook. Then you eat it with Potato soup and/or vanilla pudding sauce. VERY yummy! A great night with great food and great friends.

Heidelberg Trip Part 2

Post for NOVEMBER 11:


Caro and Nadine walking through the Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg

Coffee at Hemmingways

Koenig Stuehl (meaning King Chair) iss at the top of this mountain in Heidelberg...you can just barely see the towers on the top....I know, right?

Caro scaling the wall 1/3 of the way up to the Koenig Stuehl

We made it to the top!

Heidelberg from the top of Koenig Stuehl

A very chill week of visits, coffee drinking, cooking, running, and all around good times.
Monday Carolin had to work so after a run along the river, I spent the afternoon with her mother, Anke. I took the train out to her house and we went for a long walk around the countryside and town and finished with kaffee und kuchen at a cute little café in the middle of the town. I enjoy spending time with her very much. We have wonderful visits and she makes me speak German as much as I can so I get a little practice. It’s great :) After Caro got off work we grab some food from our favorite Thai place and went home to have a little dinner and visit. AND of course, we watched a Gilmore Girls episode because she is how I started watching it so it made since to finish it with her as well. Only a couple more episodes were left to complete all 7 seasons :(

Tuesday, I spent the day in Heidelberg on my own, walking around the grocery stores and then cooking and baking in my Heidelberg kitchen. If you know me well enough you know that this was a very enjoyable time for me; doing what I love in a place that I love. Although I mostly enjoy spending time with others, I couldn’t have had a better time on my own. Caro again had to work but when she came home, she came home to homemade Thai Lentil Curry with Basmati Reis, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, and banana almond frozen yogurt. I threw together the curry with some lentils I found in the cupboard, some extra veggies from the fridge, and a little coconut milk and curry paste. Very tasty. Baking pumpkin bars was a given since they are Caro’s favorite that I have made and the pumpkins right now are sooooo sweet and delicious. As far as the Banana frozen yogurt, that came out of no where. She had a bunch of bananas she was going to throw away so I did a little experiment that turned out pretty good (in the beginning, until it turned into a Bananen Stein). Tuesday night we sadly finished the last episode of the Gilmore Girls. Time spent with Lorelei and Rory came to an end. Great show.

Wednesday we needed to drop off Anke’s car off at the house so we threw on our running clothes and drove out to Leimen. After a little coffee and a visit, we hit the pavement on our run and stopped by to say hi to friends near by along the way, Bettina and Nadine. It is about a 45 minute run from her parents house back into the city but we had great weather. Half of it is on a trail through the vineyards on the mountainside and the other is through residential areas. We used to do this run when I lived here before so it was a great to experience a fond memory again. After running we stopped at a little café and had coffee and Caro did a little work on her computer. Then we were invited to dinner at our neighbors place. They are a very cute, nice couple and she is an awesome cook. They had just returned from Italy so she did a little Italian fare in the beginning with a little home-cooked flare. For starters as usually we had Prosecco and the appetizers were Italian Olives, Toast with Pesto/Mozzarella/tomato, and toast with prosciutto/pesto. Sehr Gut! The main dish was a potato au’gratin dish and flank steak rolled with bacon and dried peaches. We finished with a lebkuchen (gingerbread) flavor panicotta with cherry sauce. We visited for a couple of hours, or shall I say I listened most of the time. Only to my disadvantage, I sometimes struggle to speak up in social situations because my Deutsch is not so good and we only speak English half the time. Still a very enjoyable time. Thanks for talking, Caro :) Afterword we headed to a small pub near the house and visited with some of Caro’s friends before making our way back to sleep time.

Thursday…..Caro worked on her computer at home for a little bit while I went to the market and grocery stores. Again, I never get tired of going food shopping especially in another country. I picked up some odds and ends at the store and headed back to the house before Caro took me on a run of death! She said she wanted to take me up to the Koenig Stuehl which I have taken the tram up to at it is beautiful up there, BUT I figured it may be a little up hill zig zag not a death run of forever zig zags and no end in sight for 50 minutes. Before we left she neglected to give me too much info and I neglected to ask. I guess by now you know that we made it, since I am still able to blog this post right now. Very proud of us but not sure I will be doing that one again, OR maybe I will at least be more prepared next time. It was worth the view from the top. When we made it back to the house, we skyped with a dear friend of ours, Hillary, from the summer camp at which we all met. It was great to see her again and still feel a forever friendship between the three of us. We were missing our fourth of the “Fantastic Wellspring Four”, Tess, from camp but have high hopes of a reunion one day soon. After skyping we made our way out to Caro’s parents for dinner. As usual, we had a delicious meal, this time including pasta, salmon, a lemon sauce and lots of fresh herbs. They always make such great stuff. Next time Anke and I promised each other we would cook together. Love spending time at my Germany family house :) After dinner we went to a pub and met up with some of Caro’s friends for a little cocktail before heading back home.