Home again

I've been home in Austin for a couple weeks, and it's weird. Germany feels a long way away, and things here are just like they always have been. I start driving to Seattle tomorrow, so I've been spending all my time packing, replacing things from my lost wallet (it was stolen from a swimming pool a couple weeks before I left - fun, right?), getting things taken care of, and applying for jobs. Lots of jobs. And I still don't have one. At least I'm not homeless anymore!

I've been meaning to write this for a while. Between France and Germany, I was in Europe for just over a year.

In that year I went to 9 Countries (France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal. and the USA for vacation, so it counts)

and 9 Cities in Germany (Hanover, Frankfurt, Bremen, Goslar, Berlin, Lüneburger Heide, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Hildesheim

flew on 21 planes, and ridden on numerous trains, buses, trams, boats, and a couple times in cars.

eaten apples, potatoes, strawberries and raspberries that grew right outside my front door

rode my bike 1200 miles through the Alps, ran my first half marathon, and did the first ever Tough Mudder in Germany

took care of 5 beautiful, adorable, crazy, high energy children

and most of all had a fun year. It wasn't the easiest year, mentally and emotionally, but I really did enjoy it and was sad to leave.

So long, Farewell, Aufwiedersehen, Goodbye

I promise I didn't do the Sound of Music thing on purpose. But the twins do love that song. We have to sing it every night before bed and Philippa always says the "no" part of Liesl's line.

It still hasn't hit me that I'm leaving. Sunday night, the family had a kind of surprise going away party for me, except all my friends that haven't already left couldn't come. Which was like 3 or 4, apart from Rachel and Max who were there anyways. So it was just us, the grandparents and Sigrid, and Sonja, who was staying here the first month I was here. We sat out in the garden and grilled, and they hung up the Texas flag that hung at the capitol once. It was really nice, and I'm glad it wasn't a big thing. I don't like being the center of attention. I'm going to miss a lot of things here, and most of all my kinders! I love them all a whole bunch!

Greta's still convinced she's coming with me, flying away on the tram and eating ice cream and fries in the airplane. Johanna would come, but she told me she doesn't have enough money.

Tough Mudder Nordwestdeutschland

The first one ever in Germany.

Tough Mudder: the picture version. I'll probably write a real recap soon. But it was a ton of fun!

from their facebook page

before

after 18km and 19 obstacles

cartwheels! 

walk the plank

electric eel

spiders web

funky monkey 

I finished the last half basically crippled

Color Run

Gritta asked Rachel and me a while ago if we wanted to do The Color Run with her in Hannover. Of course we did! We made a team with Laura, who was the au pair here before Rachel. She ended up not being able to do it because she's been having some pains and the doctors don't know what it is, but Laura's boyfriend (also a former apprentice) Nils was able to take her place.

I was on my tip toes. Why am I so short...

Rachel stretching after running her first full 5k!

Done!

We definitely have Tough Mudder in the bag if we could do this!

Happy Birthday America!

I need to get this video to work


They both say this, and I also got them to say "USA!". Except the best version so far has been more like "you say say!"

Happy 4th of July!

Sunday Picnic

We had to get out of the house with the kids last weekend, because we were going crazy, and so were they. The start of the strawberry season means working Sundays, so here we go. We made a picnic and took the kids to the town hall in Hannover, where they have a playground and lots of grass to run around.

we made them hold hands all the way there until they were happy

the closest we got to a family picture

magnus

future rock climber philippa

greta

henriette

johanna

philippa waits for no one

sharing your chewed up leftovers is caring

she was pointing at a "fart"

cheez

my real partner in crime, rachel