Life Updates

I'm sorry I've been so bad about posting! Here's a little of what's been going on around here:

• Rachel, the au pair who was here before me, moved back in at the beginning of April to help out over the summer. We had become friends, os it's been great having her here! I don't go as crazy only talking to two-year-olds all day, and I get to speak English too which gives my brain a break! Florian, the apprentice, came back in March too. It's nice not to be all alone cooped up in the house like I was all Winter.
• The twins started Kindergarten! Right now they only go until 10 or 11, but in a couple weeks they're supposed to be "eingewöhnt" and be able to stay until the other kids come home at 12:30
• Spring has officially sprung! Well, except yesterday. But mostly it's been pretty warm and sunny. I've been running in shorts for a week or 2 and I'm already starting to get a shorts tan and watch tan. I didn't expect that so fast from Germany! But I guess my legs haven't seen the light of day since September.
• The Hannover Half Marathon is in one week, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Then, the next day I'm flying to Portugal! I'm going by myself, but I'm really excited! I need to start planning my trip a little more. I told myself I was going to plan this one!
• I've also decided on my next adventure - Rachel and I are signing up for Tough Mudder in July! We'd found a random team of 8 people - Me, Rachel, her boyfriend Max, their friend Daniel from South Africa, two separate Australian girls who will be living/travelling here at that time, a guy from Hannover who posted on the event's facebook page, and another American woman who I haven't actually met but she was in the facebook group of the people I run with every Sunday, so I'm sure she's nice. We've started training and we're so excited! 

http://toughmudder.com/

• Philippa eats fruit (sometimes)! Yesterday she actually ate some babyfood apples and peaches. This is huge because she detests all fruit except sometimes bananas and occasionally strawberry flavored things, if you call it sauce and not strawberries. But apples are especially bad, and she tastes it no matter how hidden it is. And then today, I had toast with quark and cherry jam, and she wanted to try some! She loved it! I shared it with her, made another one with strawberry jam and apricot, and she ate those too. This is a huge step! 

Jobs, jobs, jobs. I've applied for several AmeriCorps positions and have even been rejected by some.

• Community Health Corps - didn't even interview me. The positions I was most qualified in required Spanish fluency, so I wasn't surprised.
• American Red Cross Seattle - interviewed for two positions, didn't get asked for a second interview for either
• NotreDame Seattle - my preliminary interview went well, and I'm scheduling an interview for a position tutoring/teaching in a high school and running an after school program with Planned Parenthood. I'm excited about this one! And if it doesn't work out, they have other positions that would be a good match, and my application can keep being sent to different sites and positions.
• BMAC Walla Walla - also interviewed with the head coordinator, and my application has been sent to 3 sites. This would be perfect, except it's in Walla Walla.
• Washington Reading Corps Seattle - I had to reschedule my interview for the middle of May, but they seem nice. I also am scheduling an interview for WRC in the surrounding areas, through a different organization. 

I think that's it right now! I have more options if none of these work out, but I've made the decision to move to Seattle!