Muffins or Cupcakes.....?

June 25, 2009

well today was fun!! as usual, I woke up, got the boys ready, ate schokomussli, and took finn to kindergarten while Ulli took Ole to his playgroup. I did some laundry(for the kids), started watching a movie and then decided I didn't want to be inside(it wasn't raining!) so I went for a bike ride to REWE and bought some junk i didn't need...(what can I say, I was feeling homesick so I bought some "american" stuff) and when I got home no one but mandush was there.... she makes everything awkward!(FYI: mandush is the cleaning lady)
Ulli got home a little bit later and I(i ate fish... and it wasn't that bad actually) When stefan got home he had Ole, and a cell phone for me!! YAY!! it's great i love it! it's a slider and it's pretty cute!!!
Ulli went to get Finn, and then we ate and i put ole down for a nap. During the midday pause, finn and i made "muffins" which to us are really cupcakes. capt'n sharkey ones.... Capt'n sharkey is super popular for little boys here! So it was cute! however, I basically made the cupcakes alone because Finn didn't really want to help me.... even though Ulli bought them for me. Ok confusing kinda but here goes:
Finn doesn't really like me, so Ulli decided maybe if I "bought him muffins" and we made them together he might think that was cool. So she bought the mix, and gave it to me saying "give this to finn as if you bought it and ask him to help you make them!" so I did.... but it didn't really work that well.

after making "muffins" we played leggos for a bit, and then moritz came. We invited him over so that he could have cupcakes with us! they ate cupcakes and we played outside(me and the 3 boys) while stefan and ulli went for a walk to see how the boys were without them here(for an hour which was fine) they forgot to say bye, so the boys didn't even notice they were gone till about 20 min before they got back but even then, Finn didn't really care because he was busy playing with Moritz.

Stefan installed the child seat on my bike, while finn, moritz and i got in a water fight(after they were naked and wet from playing on the slip and slide) and i got soked... It was really fun though!!

i changed and then took ole for a test ride on my bike. we just rode around a little but it's pretty cool! I'm not so use to the weight difference on the back, but Ole doesn't weigh that much so it really wasn't too bad.
afterwords, I rode down to rewe on my bike for some meat and a few other things for dinner and when i got home all was quiet. it was kinda weird.... Finn and Ole were playing at the neighbors. So i helped set the table for dinner, and then went and got the boys. we ate and then i put ole to bed. He is such a cute little boy!! :)

ulli left for a birthday party, and stefan and i cleaned up and he put Finn to bed while i had the rest of the day off. i icqed heike a bit and then went for a bike ride. I rode down to REWE again and bought a card for my phone(pre payed money thing) with the money stefan and ulli gave me(so nice of them!!) and then came home! i really actually quite enjoy bike riding---but I wish I had practiced a bit more before I came!!

Right now I'm in the middle of packing for my weekend trip to Neckarsulm---I am really excited for the trip--but I HATE packing!!!

Pictures: The last two Capt'n Sharkey cupcakes!
Finn, Ole, and Moritz all on the swingset(finn and ole are the ones on the slide part.)
Ulli and me
me being wet... it's not that great of a picture since I took it myself in the mirror....

I'm Walking on Sunshine....

June 24, 2009

I was extremely happy when I woke up this morning!! The sun was shining in my eyes!!! :) :) I got the boys ready-and didn't really have any problems. It is also great, i decided last night I would take a shower and it helped!! before now, I never knew when to shower cuz I never had time!!!! We ate breakfast and then I went with Ulli to take Ole to the playgroup and take Finn to his argo therapy--to help him with is coordination and things since he has problems with his eye.
While we waited for Finn we walked around the town(I don't remember which town it is though....) and went to the Pharmicy(both the boys are getting a cold) and then to the bakery. :) I love German Bakeries!!!
When Finn finished with Argo therapy, we went to pick him up. Ulli had to get something out of the car, so i waited for him and he saw me sitting in the hall and refused to leave the room till his mom came. It was not so great-- we got him to the kindergarten and then I had some time off. I finished a movie I'd started watching the other night(bridget jones' diary) and then went and layed in the sun!! :) I'm so glad it's sunny! and Stefan and Ulli have the greatest sun-bathing bed!!!!

Stefan went to get the boys, and we had lunch. We ate white asparagus for the last time this year. :( The season for it is over which is sad because it really is super delicious!! during the mid-day pause, I tried to help finn with his "homework" for Argo Therapy. He was suppose to make a collage. It didn't work that well because he didn't want me to help him. Ulli finally came and sat with us and helped him to it, and he did it. I don't know why he hasn't been liking me the last few days...?

Ole woke up and Stefan took the boys and me to the Waldspielplatz(aka: forest playground) and they have this super great slide there!! :) We played some then went for a walk through a little bit of the forest(mind you-this is the BLACK FOREST we were walking and playing in!) then headed down the road a little and found some cute cherry trees- we picked and ate fresh cherries(they tasted great!) and then headed home for "dinner"
Finn and I watched Kleine einsteins(i think it's the first one they made!) and then we ate. I'm so proud of Stefan! He tried PB&J for the first time!! He said it wasn't bad, but it's something he'd eat for breakfast and not lunch or dinner! lol!

Photos: Me sitting at the top of the slide at the playground!
Stefan and Ole in the Forest(isn't that so cute?!?!)
Finn climbing the cherry tree
Ole, Stefan, and Finn walking through the forest(both boys had to have a walking stick! :) so cute!)

The wonderful world of IKEA!!!

June 23, 2009

Ok, so today surprisingly I woke up before Finn and Ole!!! My body clock is set to wake up at like 6:30 now, and they didn't wake up till 7! it was amazing!! So I got ready for the day and then layed back down for a little bit until the boys woke up! It was pretty nice actually. When the boys woke up, Ulli asked if I would get them ready for the day so I started at work. Ole was stinky so I got him ready first, then attempted to get Finn ready--boy did that NOT work!! He threw a fit the whole time saying that "mama said i don't have to do everything!!" He didn't want to brush his teeth, or put his clothes or socks on or his glasses or anything. It was a nightmare! But, Stefan told him he HAD to, and he had to listen to me so after about 20 minutes of fighting he was ready. We ate... schokomussli... then I headed out the door with Ole, Finn, and Stefan to take them to playgroup and kindergarten. I didn't get very far! Ole decided that he wanted to ride on the bobbycar, but he sat down on it and it was wet! So I took him in the house, changed his clothes and everything and Stefan took Finn to kindergarten and then came back and picked up Ole and me. Then we headed to whatever town Ole's playgroup is in, and dropped him off.

When I got home, Stefan told me I had free time to do whatever I liked for a few hours. I decided I would watch "the Secret Life of the American Teenager" because I kinda really like that show and the new season just started!! :) I went on ABCfamily.com only to find out that I wasn't allowed to watch it! Stupid rule that they have says that because of Legal issues shows on ABCfamily aren't allowed for viewing outside of the USA... SO I headed to youtube and found it! :) Then I finished the movie I began watching last night and decided I was too tired to finish(what women want--it was really good actually!) and then went with Stefan to get the kids!

Ole was extremely tired when we picked him up, so we got home and I got him ready for bed then helped Stefan make pancakes for lunch--they are definitely different than at home. Here the pancakes he made are more like our crepes--but of course they have crepes here too!!!

Ole woke up and ate his food, and then Ulli, Ole, Finn and I all headed to Ikea!! It's like AMAZING there! I love it!!! It's huge! They have like 3 different parking garages(like the multi-level ones we have!) with at least 3 levels each--and it was STILL hard to find a parking space, but the store is so HUGE that it really didn't seem that crowded. We bought me a new pillow(thank goodness--the old one has made my neck really really sore!) and a few other things and headed home. Ulli was kinda disappointed she really wanted to get me some pillows for my bed during the day, but didn't like any here so she said we'll go to france and find some(apparently she knows a really great store about an hour and a half away that has great pillows and such....)

When we got home Stefan asked me if I wanted to go to REWE with him(the grocery store) so Ole, Stefan and I went and got bread and meat for dinner while Ulli was doing who knows what and Finn was at the neighbors showing them the cool stuffed rat he got for his birthday from Ikea(they have a cute little thing where if you sign up for this certain membership the kids get a free present for their birthdays)
After dinner and getting the boys ready for bed, I gave Ulli and Stefan their gifts. My mom crocheted their name for them(and it's amazing!) and I brought them a Utah book(erik dowdel paintings) and a cookbook from my ward and some measuring cups! They loved them! I was so happy!!!

Photo: picture of Ikea, as we were driving away--this is only part of the amazingly hugeness of it!!!

rain rain go away....

June 22, 2009

Well for breakfast I'll give you one guess at what we ate for breakfast this morning... yup that's right! Schokomussli..... oh my goodness I'm so sick of it, but by the time i finish getting the boys ready and get down there they already have my schokomussli ready for me.... great! When I finished getting the boys ready, I took Finn to kindergarten with ole in the buggy, and then went home. It's always a nice walk home but today finn rode his "laufrad" aka:like a walking/running bike with no pedals, and he was NOT looking where he was going while he was riding. it was a pain to get him to stop too. but we got him to kindergarten in one peace then Ole and I went home. We left Ole with Stefan, and then Ulli and I headed in to Freiburg to try and figure out what we needed to do for my Visa and to make me officially their Au Pair.
We ended up walking all over Freiburg because everywhere we went sent us somewhere else. We had to go in to the stadtmitte(city center) to take a picture of me(had to be like a passport photo) We got that done, and then headed back to Heitersheim because apparently we needed to go to the Rathaus in Heitersheim first! We thought we'd get to the Rathaus in time to get the stuff done their today(it closes at noon) but we got stuck in traffic so we got there right after it closed.... suppose maybe tomorrow? the place in Freiburg is only open a few days a week so we'll see when we get things done.
Well since that didn't work, we headed to Sparkasse(my bank) to see what their friend could do about a phone for me. I suppose the other day he told Ulli that they still had a bunch of phones left over from a deal they had where if you open an account you get a free pre-paid phone. Well... apparently he was drunk when he told her that because they didn't have any left(ulli's the one that claims he was drunk not me!)
so.... the things we were going to do today ended up NOT working. We headed up the street and picked Finn up from kindergarten, which was kinda a mess because he wanted to ride his "bike" home from the kindergarten, but he didn't want to come with ME. which would mean Ulli would walk and I drive, which is not possible. so he threw a fit the whole time we were in the car on the way home(lucky it's only a few minutes!)
We got home and Stefan asked if I wanted to help him make Schnitzel! :) Of course I said yes!!!!!!! It's so easy to make! and it tasted so good!! I think it's like the best schnitzel I've had in germany so far(yes even better than at schnitzel charly last year!)
We did the whole nap/mid-day pause thing and then Ulli and I took the kids to play at Miriam's(the mom of Kiki and Marlena-they just live through the block) We talked and watched half the kids in the neighborhood(about 15 were there) just ride their bikes and play, until it started raining(I was surprised it wasn't raining for like 2 hours while the kids played!!)
We got home and I watched Kleine Einsteins with Finn--or rather, I sat on one couch and he sat on the other and we both watched it. Ulli got abendsbrot(evening bread) out, and then we ate. I tried got cheese tonight, and I'm not going to lie--IT'S GOOD!!! :) apparently the boys really like it because when they started drinking bottles they drank goats milk instead of formula. Ole drinks formula now, but only before bed! :)

Overall it was a pretty ok day! I love watching all the kids play together! however, it would be so much nicer if it would quit raining for at least one whole day!

--sorry--i didn't take any pictures today! :S

can't get it like that in the USA....

June 21, 2009
today was my second day off and oh buddy! i woke up at 6:30 feeling rather sick so i went back to bed planning to wake up at 7:30 to get ready for church... but that didn't happen. The church is about 30 minutes away from me when I take the train and I just didn't feel well enough to spend an hour getting to/from church. I slept till 8:30 and decided that I wouldn't go to church because I didn't have time(it starts at 9) so just slept until 9! It was so nice but I was still feeling sick. I took some meds and just layed in bed till 11 drifting in and out of sleep. While I was laying in bed Finn came up to my room, opened my door and told me to get up! haha.... I told him I didn't want to and I could hear Ulli yelling at him from down stairs to go back down. She came up to check on me a little bit later cuz she knew I wasn't feeling well and she asked if I wanted anything to eat. I told her no and she left me alone. I slept a little bit more and when I woke up no one was home. I don't know where they were but it was really weird. It was kinda nice to get ready for the day in a quiet house though. By this point I was feeling quite a bit better so I got dressed, did my hair and actually tried to look nice.

I updated my blog since I've been behind, and then spent some time talking to Heike. the family got home and I could hear steven down stairs making lunch. Ulli came up to see if i wanted to eat anything and knowing i needed SOMETHING I said sure! I'm glad I did cuz it was Maultaschen! :) yummy! i missed that stuff! Not gonna lie, Heike's mom makes it better, but Steven's was still good.

A little bit latter the neighbor girl Vivian came to pick me up and we went to catch the train. She said we were meeting 4 of her friends so I was really nervous. The first one to get on the train aside from us(at the next stop) was her secret boyfriend Dominik.... that was a bit awkward but not too bad. The next stop Chris and Sandra got on.... ok then it was really awkward cuz Chris and Sandra are going out..... I was hoping that their other friend was NOT a boy.... We got to Freiburg as Vivian's phone rang. It ended up being their other friend, who was calling to let us know they would not be able to come... great. it was me and two german couples! I didn't really understand what they were saying cuz they talk in a really funny dialect, but Vivian was nice at talking to me in english or simple german(i told her before that I really don't understand a lot of the german here.... stupid slang and such)

We climbed 209 stairs to the top of the Münster(really old church in Freiburg) and looked at the amazing view!! It's such a pretty town!!! after that we went to this really great Eis cafe(ice cream parlor) and got some ice cream. This cafe was huge though!! and really nice! but their prices weren't bad and their ice cream was amazing!!! You can't get it like that at home!!!

We got home and I put Ole in bed while Steven and Ulli finished getting ready for their night out(it was their anniversary so they were going to a really nice hotel for dinner) They left and I put Finn to bed... I was nervous that we'd have problems but we didn't have any at all!! :) It was so great!! he asked me to read him a book in english so I pulled out my hand dandy huge Dr. Suess book that I have with like 15 stories or so in it, and I read him the Sleep book. he really liked it and it was fun to read to him!! :)

I tucked him in and he went to sleep. I went down stairs and watched the Prince and me, in german and just kinda chilled with my laptop(yeah i am kinda addicted to it...) and I talked to Heike.
Ulli and Steven got home a lot sooner than I was expecting. I'm so glad they had a nice night!!!

We sat and talked for a bit while Steven goofed off on his computer, soon Ulli and I found out that he wasn't really just goofing off. :) He bought me insurance! haha! i'm covered now so if anything happens it will be fine! :)

Steven pulled out this huge stack of cd cases(3 of them) and told me to take them upstairs with me and look at them... i got up stairs and they were all movies! :) yay!! he told me most of them he bought in China, so they were in english. that made me really happy! He has some REALLY good ones! I think soon I'll have to watch a movie or too!! I talked to Heike a little bit more and kinda finished planning when I'd come to neckarsulm next(this weekend! because Steven is going to Heilbronn-right outside of neckarsulm so he'll take me with him then i'll go see heike and ride the train home! :) yay!!!)
I think I need a new pillow... my neck has been hurting really bad!! :) but it was a really great day!

I LOVE GERMAN EIS!!

pictures: a really pretty view of Frieburg from the top of the Münster, looking up at the Münster from under neat it, my delicious banana split(yes that is a banana split... jealous?!), the picture the nice waitress took of all of us. (chris and sandra are closest to the camera, and Vivian and Dominik are back by me)

a day in Staufen

June 20, 2009

Today I got to go to a really neat old town called Staufen. It's not too far away from Heitersheim, and it's where steven's mom lives. of course for breakfast we ate Schoko musli again and oh my goodness! i'm getting so sick of it! every day for almost a week now.... how can they stand that?!
Well Ulli and I took the kids to Stuafen and we walked around town square and the weekend market(like a fleamarket kinda) and got some eggs and cheese and then she showed me a bit more of the city! it's so pretty!!! Then we headed down this cute little side road and found a nice little hairdresser(ok she knew where we were going but it was cool!) and one of her friends works there and cut Oles bangs. :) he didn't like it very much but they were sooo long!!!
After walking around the town square we went a little outside of the main part of town and found the Gymnasium(high school) and this really neat old train they have there. It's only one part of the train but you can climb on it and stuff so we let the boys play a bit and then got ready to head home.
On the way home from Staufen we made two stops... one at a farm to buy some white asparagus! and the other at the bike shop so I could get my bike! :) Ulli dropped me off with the money and I went in and got my bike. I headed home and it only took me about 20 minutes(it was bout 3 miles or so) It was a nice ride actully, but I'm kinda out of shape! haha! my legs hurt a bit!!!
When I finally got home no one was here.... I thought that a bit odd because Ulli said she was going to head home as she dropped me off at the bike store so she could start lunch...? I waited for about half an hour until they finally got home.

Finn wasn't with them when they got home and when she said they had to drop something off at Moritz's i knew that's where he must be... Ole was so tired because he's not been feeling well and has woke up really early so I layed him down for his nap and went down to help Ulli with lunch. I was starting to help her Steven walked in the door. He'd been gone all week for work so it was nice to see him again. They told me to take a break and they'd make lunch(just to spend some time together) and so I just kinda relaxed and they got to spend some time together.

When lunch finished Finn was still with Moritz and Ole was taking a nap so we just ate in quiet with out the kids and just talked. Steven told us about his adventure in Italy, and it was really nice to not worry about the kids eating.....
Finn got home from Moritz's about the same time Ole woke up. they ate their lunch, and we headed back to Staufen. Steven had his "Abitreff" or as we call it in America, his class reunion. 20 years!! He went to the Gymnasium that the train is at. We took the kids back to the train, he played with them for a few minutes then went with some of his friends to where they were meeting everyone else.
after the train we went to a quaint little playground with a nice little pond and a cute little bush maze. haha like a corn maze only with bushes! :P it was so cute! The boys had so much fun playing!!
When we got home we ate some dinner-i ate pb&j again!! yay!!! it is so good! and it's actually peanut butter from the USA! It says right on it "product of the USA" so it's the actual stuff!!! I put the boys to bed while Ulli got ready to over to a friends house, and just enjoy the evening.
I had no problem getting Ole ready, but finn was a different story... he didn't want to listen to me! of course i know he doesn't know english and that's what i'm talking to him in(cuz i'm suppose to) but he threw the biggest fit. and so i told him in german and he just wouldn't listen to me. Finally Ulli came down, sat him down and told him he HAD to do what I said and that if he didn't he wouldn't get to play tomorrow and all these things. after that we had no problems.
they slept just great and Ulli went off to her friends. I just stayed home and listened for the boys and just relaxed in my room then went to bed early! :) yay for going to bed at 10:30!!!

pictures: Ole just sitting and watching his mom and dad talk to each other, Finn playing on the train, the amazing view of the black forest from the train.

a PB&J day...

June 19, 2009
Today was just kinda a relaxing day..... we woke up, and started the new program we planned out to make everything a little less chaotic. I got ready while Ulli was upstairs just playing with the boys(it's tradition in their house when they wake up they go up to her and just play there for about 20 minutes and then get ready) and then i got the boys ready while Ulli made breakfast. We ate and then Ole and I took Finn to the kindergarten. Ulli cleaned up the breakfast mess and got ready for the day and it really worked out so great!

She had to go to the dentist so Ole and I were going to be alone. by this time it was about 8:45 and he was so ornery(he woke up at 6!!!!!!!!!!!) and we think it was because he was tired and got a shot yesterday so she told me just to lay him down to take a nap. i did that, and set my alarm for an hour and took one too! It was so nice!! I went in to wake him up and he didn't want to wake up! poor boy he was so tired!! we played, looked at books and I just kinda talked to him, and then Ulli got home. She stopped and picked up Finn on her way home so we had lunch, and then had the mid day pause. Ole slept again and so the whole night he was so happy! :)

after the midday pause, the neighbors took Finn and their daughter to horse back riding lessons, and Ulli and I just enjoyed our quite time until Ole woke up! He woke up and him and I went for a walk to the store to get some cake and bread. We were having visitors for a few hours so we needed some food.
We got back and Finn's little friend Eilien was here.... she goes to kindergarten with him and she's really cute. Ulli says she looks cute but really has some issues, but she seemed good the whole time she was here. A little bit later Malena and her mom got here and then a bit later Elaine and her mom came. The women just sat down and talked, and i went upstairs with the girls to keep an eye on them because they wanted to do each other's hair. it was so cute though! :) Elaine just sat on my lap most the time. I love that girl!!

Finally everyone left and the house was quite. Ulli and I put the boys in the car and we went to the bike shop. we found a bike, and were going to buy it when the guy said he didn't accept credit cards. so he held it for us to go back and get it tomorrow.

we went home to have dinner or as they call it here "evening bread" and I ate peanut butter and jelly! :) it was so great!! i really missed it!! :) I think that was the highlight of my day!!

Tomorrow I'll get my bike and I'm so excited! Steven will be home tomorrow too, and then he'll be home for 2 weeks. I think we'll be going on quite a few adventures the next few weeks....

Pictures: Eilien doing Malena's hair
a better picture of me and adroable Elaine
Malena doing Elaine's hair

A Day in the Sun

June 18, 2009

Wow! What a day! :) it was no more than five minutes after Ulli left to take Finn to kindergarten and Ole and I were upstairs playing while Manush(the cleaning lady) was doing her thing that I heard "FINN!!!!! FINN!!!!!!!" coming through the house.... "Wo ist der Finn?!" "Ulli.....?" I went down to see what was going on, and fount Annika, the little neighbor girl that is almost 3, coming up the stairs. Apparently Ulli hadn't got the door shut the whole way when she left(it's really stupid and doesn't like to shut) and Annika just walked in. I told her that Finn was at Kindergarten and Ulli was with me and she just said ok... and started playing with Ole and me. Kinda annoying right?! Well a few minutes later her sister Julia joined in! I finally got them downstairs and Ulli walked in and just looked at the girls like "how the crap did you get in here?!" and I told her they came in cuz the door wasn't all the way shut. It was really funny but really annoying. Finally their mom came to save the day and pick them up(after she realized where they probably were) and took Julia to kindergarten. They are such cute girls but oh goodness....

Ulli(the mom) had a doctors appointment today, so Ole and I got some bonding time! :) We went for a walk by the river, and then played at the playground. He is so funny!! :) It was so hot today though!! I just wanted to jump in the river. lol.
Well sorry, that really wasn't that exciting. But Ole was in a great mood the whole day! :) He was so funny just to watch play and to hear him laugh! he's so cute!!!

When she got back she had Finn with her and I'd already layed Ole down for his nap. She made some lunch while Finn played in his room and Ole took a nap. Normally he doesn't take a nap till after lunch, but he had a doctors appointment today too so he had to nap early. it was a nice break. We ate and then she woke Ole up, fed him and got him ready to go. They left and it was just Finn and me. We had a pretty good time learning words(him english, and me German) while looking at these little picture puzzles they have, and waiting for his best friend Moritz to get here. He kept telling me he wanted to go pick Moritz up, and I kept telling him first in english, then in my bad German that we couldn't. Moritz wasn't home, his parents were bringing him on their way home from somewhere else. Well he didn't like me very much because of this. He went out to play in the sandbox and I kept my eye on him. A bit later he came in to get a drink, and he brought a ton of sand in with him. I grabbed the vaccume and cleaned it up and as I was putting the vacuum back in the cupboard, he headed back outside.

I went out so I could keep an eye on him and he wasn't anywhere in the yard, or in the bathroom.... not good! I looked down the street(thankfully I know where Moritz lives....) and he was walking down the street with no shoes on. I called for him to stop and when he saw me walking behind him he took off running!!! Oh great.... I ran after him and caught him just before he ran into the intersection and I had to carry him back to the house(he refused to walk!!) we got to the house after a few minutes of him kicking and hitting and trying to bite me and screaming and i took him in and stood him in the corner. I told him in my horrid german that he CAN'T do that and that Moritz would come when his parents brought him and he wasn't at home so we COULDN'T go and pick him up and he stopped crying. I asked if he understood me and he said yes and then asked to go to the bathroom. Of course, not wanting to loose him again, i sat on the stairs not too far away from the bathroom to wait for him to come out. I waited.... and waited.... and waited some more. every time i tried to open the door he'd yell at me to stay out... augh great!! Finally I just went in anyways and told him I was sorry for being so "mean" but it's what I had to do. and again i explained how he couldn't just leave like that. and i told him i was sorry i didn't speak good german and that he didn't understand my english but that's what his parents want(of course i was saying this in german) i told him i wasn't leaving, i lived and worked here now to take care of him and ole and he needed to do what i said. he stopped crying, gave me a hug, and the doorbell rang! :) Moritz was here!!!

we went outside and I sat and watched them play with the boats in the swimming pool, and about a half hour later Ole and ulli got back. They all got undressed and climbed in the pool. about an hour later Malena and her sister KiKi and their mom got there. Malena and KiKi undressed too and started playing along... it was kinda awkward to see these kids running around entirely naked but at the same time it was cute.
The all played so cute together! KiKi is about Ole's age and Malena is Finn's age. they played in the pool and on the slide and everything and just had a great day!! It was sooo hot I was jealous they were playing in the pool!!!

Malena and KiKi left(I love their mom!) and then Moritz parents and his little sister came to pick him up. his sister Amelie is sooo cute! she's also Ole's age and talking soo much!!

It was so cute to watch them all day! As the day finished up we got the boys in bed and the neighbor came to see if he could figure out what was going on with my tv... cuz it's not working. it turns out we need another chord for it, but he didn't have one so we'll get one soon! :) Then he invited me down for some drinks(this is Julia and Annika's dad) I went down and joined him and there mom and Ulli, and another couple came over too(my favorite little german girl Elaine's parents!) They drank some beer and i drank some water(yucky bubbly water, but i'm getting use to it kinda...) and then I came home. I was so tired and just couldn't listen to anymore german for the night.... they kinda talk a bit funny here and it's kinda hard to understand(the neighbors at least, my family is fine) so it's taking me a bit....

over all it was a really great day! :) A walk through town, playing with the kids, some quality time with each of the boys, and Vivian, a neighbor girl that's 17 invited me to go to Freiburg with her and her friends Sunday to get some Ice Cream... i'm kinda nervous, but really excited! :)

pictures: Moritz, Finn and Ole all in the swimming pool.
Ole and Amelie(Moritz's sister) playing on the slide.
Malena(one of the neighbors) in the swing.

My Adventure in Freiburg....

June 17, 2009

Wow! :) What a day!!!

Today was my first day off and i really loved it!! :) I slept in until 10am which was really nice after these last 2 days!!! and then I took my time getting ready for the day! It was nice just to have some me time!

I ate lunch with my family, and then Ulli(the mom) took me to the train station. I went up the machine to buy a ticket, not really knowing what I was doing, and now I'm a pro at it!! :) haha! I bought my ticket and waited 30 minutes for my train to Freiburg. 16 minutes later and I was stepping off into the start of my grand adventure...

I didn't really know how to get to the Stadtmitte(city center) from the train station so I just wandered around looking at shops until I saw a sign that said "tourist information- at the rathause" wahoo!! The Rathaus is near the stadtmitte, and i needed to buy a map anway so I followed the signs until I found my way around! I looked at a map to try and find the street that the church is located on and couldn't find it anywhere!! It wasn't even listed in the street listings in the back! So I went up to the lady at the desk and asked her if she knew where it was... she told me that it's not in the main city it's outside of it so it wouldn't be on the map. She handed me an S-bahn(like the trax) map, and told me where the nearest stop was and what one i needed to get off at. this was about 3:00 and I really didn't want to get on the s-bahn yet since Institute didn't start until 7!!! I just kinda wandered a bit and bought a new pair of sunglasses cuz I left mine in my sisters car in the USA, and then decided I was hungry so I went and bought my first Döner since last summer!! Oh it tasted so great!! :)

I ate and then wandered around a bit and decided to by some ice cream! that was really yummy too... then I decided I didn't need anything, or have money to spend so I didn't want to just window shop so I decided I would go for a walk and find the church!! :)

I headed through town till I found a S-bahn stop, and pulled out my map. I found where it was on the map, and which way I needed to go and I proceeded to wander through town, and into the outskirts of town by following the tracks and looking at the stops on the map! :) It was really quite fun!!! :) I saw so many cool buildings that I wouldn't have seen riding the s-bahn!!!

I finally found the street I needed and headed down it... it seemed to last almost forever until finally I found number 87! The church!! :) YAY!!! I was so happy to see it I didn't even care I still had an HOUR until institute was suppose to start.... I took some pictures then went across the street to sit by the river... after a bit that got boring so I went back to the church and down around behind by where the institute class would be held(there was a sign on the door saying where to go!) I saw a cute little shed and so I went and sat on the grass behind it in the shade and just kinda took a nap until 6:45...

I was really nervous at this point to go in, because from where I was going I could see everyone walk in and there weren't many people which meant I would be noticed quickly! and I was afraid they wouldn't speak english to me... so i went in the building but the door was closed and I didn't know what was going on!! I just looked at the board next to the door and read all the announcements and looked at pictures until someone else came in.... I was going to go in with him, until he walked behind me to sit on a couch.... great, now what?! Finally someone came out of the room! They walked up to me and introduced themselves.... and now I really don't remember her name! crap!! Then she went to the guy behind me.... haha! His name was Tyson! Once he said that I knew he was from America!

The girl walked away, and I walked up to Tyson and asked where he was from! :) West Jordan utah, but he's going to school at USU! great!!! then we went in the class and sat down. everyone knew tyson already cuz he'd been in Freiburg for 2 weeks, but no one knew me so they were all talking to me(thankfully in english!) and then Cami showed up... haha yeah Cami! :) She's also a USU student from Sandy utah!! Tyson and cami adopted me into their little group, and class started.

it was really interesting to try to understand what was being said!!! After class was over, Bruder und Schwester Horrlacher(the couple missionaries from ceder city utah!) told us there was food in the kitchen! Mexican pasta casserole... it was interesting but good! :) Cami left a bit early to go check on her green jello for the interns dinner they were having, and so Tyson and I and a bunch of other people just talked. Tyson and i headed out at the same time and then I realized, I didn't know where the train station was!! Not a problem! Tyson was heading in that direction so he took me with him. he's a really funny guy!(no, nothing serious meant by that!!) and it was so great to talk to another american mormon!!!! we just laughed and talked for 15 minutes until it was time for him to leave. he pointed me in the right direction and left me for myself.... 2 blocks later and I found the train station(I didn't even get lost!!) I went up to the machine, and for the second time in my life, and without any problems, I bought my train ticket home!! :) I found the right platform and climbed on the train!!

On the way home there was one of the most beautiful sunsets ever!! :) and a pretty cute guy sitting next to me. He was 17 and lived in Shallstadt, just one town away from Heitersheim..... lol.... I got off the train and headed home. 3 miles and 1 stop for directions later and I was home!! It was such a great day!!!

I am really surprised how I'm not really even that tired from walking all day!! :) I can't wait for my next great adventure!!!!

Pictures: me and my train ticket!! :) So proud I did it by myself!!!
the map picture, shows how far I walked. I followed the blue line from one finger to the other!!
The building is the church!! :)
and then one of the pictures i took of the sunset, from the moving train!! :)

The tired, toothache headache....

June 16, 2009

WHAT A DAY! So yesterday was Finn's birthday! Today, we woke up at 7 am with all 4 of the kids and got them ready for Kindergarten! Ole came home from his grandmas while we were getting the kids ready, and Steven had to leave for work an hour before kindergarten so Ulli took the kids to Kindergarten, and I watched Ole for 20 minutes. Then Ulli came back and i kinda helped clean up the breakfast mess until I took Ole upstairs to play because he was so whiny and just making a mess. We played in Finn's room(he has a slide on his bed that Ole loves, and lots of cars!) and then Ulli got in the car and I put Ole in the stroller and we headed to REWE(the supermarket) for some Coffee(Ulli) and a danish. Ole and I walked because Ulli wanted to make sure I remembered the way she'd showed me yesterday. She had to drive though because as soon as we finished Coffee and the Danish she went to the doctor and I stayed with Ole in Heitersheim.

Ulli left and Ole and I played by the river a little and then did a little grocery shopping and then walked around town. He's getting his last few teeth so he was not feeling well at all and so he cried sooo much!! I finally went home and put him down for a nap(which Ulli suggested if he wouldn't stop crying. he looked so tired after coming back from grandmas!) So I went in and finished cleaning up my room!(oh yeah! I unpacked yesterday!!!!) :D It's so nice and clean I love it!
Well while Ole was suppose to be sleeping, the people next door were doing construction so he just cried a lot.... he would stop and i'd think he was asleep but then he cried some more, so i went in and picked him up but he just flopped back into his crib. I finally figured out how to turn some music on and he stopped crying and went to sleep.

about ten minutes later Ulli got home and we started making lunch. Then she asked(in german) if I wanted to go pick up Finn from Kindergarten! I said sure and made my way walking through town. I was proud of myself when I found it on my first try!! Finn and I walked home and when we got there Ulli had lunch ready! :) Yummy chicken and potatoes and broccoli!(I bought it all! haha!)

The little neighbor girl Annika(3 years old) came over and played with Finn for a bit. Ole woke up not too long after we finished eating and so he ate and then we got ready to head to Freiburg. It's such a BEAUTIFUL city!! :) I didn't really take any pictures(sorry!) I was pushing the stroller most of the time, but I'm planning on going back tomorrow!!
We went and got some yummy bread and then went and got me a key!!(picture coming soon!) now when I leave the house, I can let myself back in! yahoo!! :) i was really excited about that! We were planning on doing some other stuff while we were there(talking to the insurance company, getting a few things, and a cell phone for me)but the boys were soooo ornery!!! Finn was ornery cuz he didn't get much sleep(12-7 is not enough for a 5 year old who normally sleeps at 8:30)and Ole was ornery cuz his teeth hurt and he didn't feel good. They cried a lot of the way through town and we finally just thought "forget it" and left. We'll go back on Saturday when Steven gets back. and then we'll get me a bike! :)

When we finally got back to Heitersheim(the car ride seemed FOREVER long with two crying boys!) Finn got to watch little Einsteins and ole cried and Ulli and I(while helping with ole) made dinner.... or more so set it out! bread, some chicken salad, cheese, lunch meat, that sorta thing. and we just kinda ate and then we got the boys ready for bed. I think they fell asleep really really fast! they both needed it!!

I had a headache by the time the were asleep... I call it my tired, toothache headache because without the boys being tired and having a toothache, i wouldn't have the headache! lol! So now here I sit, writing this and thinking... I really should be in bed!! I'm still not use to the sleeping times yet, but tomorrow is planned to be my free day! I think I'll go to Freiburg and get lost a bit... :) then maybe attempt to find the church house and go to Institute! :) Hopefully I'll make some friends, since the Au Pair from Canada is on her goodbye vacation and won't be back till next week.... then the new Au pair from London will come and I can't wait! :) Until tomorrow....
*sorry no pictures for today!! Like I said, I didn't really take any cuz I'm planning on going tomorrow!

Finn's 5th Birthday.....

June 15, 2009

oh my goodness! today was such a busy day!!! After the kids went to sleep last night we decorated the living room and Finn's chair at the table.
Then we got to sleep! :) Finn was waking up around 6:00am and so Ulli and Steven(mom and dad) went in with sparklers to wake him up! :) i heard them starting to go in his room so i joined them and it was so cute!! he jumped out of bed when the last sparkler went out and ran downstairs to see his seat at the table and open his presents! so excited was he!! :)

well I helped Steven make breakfast(schoko mussli-- like oatmeal with craisins and chocolate chips in it!) and we ate. we got the boys ready for the day and the construction workers showed up.... the new shower leaked did i already say that? and it ran all down the wall clear down to the cellar. so they pounded and drilled away at the wall upstairs to find the problem and Ulli and I tried to clean some and keep the boys entertained and keep finn from freaking out too much every time the phone rang(a birthday guest for me?!?!) we also tried to keep things cleaned up a BIT because the house had been so clean before.

I made a fruit salad which tasted really yummy fyi! and I also baked the cake and Ulli decorated it!!(this is not the amazing one he took to school... that one was castle shaped! this one was flat and had a picture of pajamas on it cuz he had a sleep over) it was so cute!! then finally the guys found the problem... a really really really small hole in part of the pipe. so they fixed it and left. we cleaned up all the disgusting shavings and everything from the construction and the birthday guests started to arrive!!

one by one little kid after little kid showed up until we finally had a house full! 9 kids aged 4-5!! and it was raining at first so we were in the house... crazy house!! finn's room was a disaster!!! but the kids were sooo cute!! after they all got here we went down and ate birthday cake! yummy yummy!! he opened his presents from his friends and by this time it had stopped raining so we went outside!(thank goodness!!) We went out and the kids did an egg race and then they played this hot cold game where they get blindfolded and then someone hides a pot(on the tiles) and they have a wood spoon and crawl around the ground trying to find the pot then they get whatever's hiding under it when they find it. :) it was really cute!!

uhh... they did some other stuff just running around and then we went on a treasure hunt(Ulli, the mom hid a box of treasures at the park nearby) we wandered through the neighborhood by Ulli telling them a definition of something and them running to find it!(Cherry tree.... big dirt mound.... playground....) until finally we found it!! :) :) when we got back to the house I found out that we did this to waste the time until dinner, and to make the ones sleeping over tired!! :)

So we ate and the parents started to come pick up their kids.... finally all the kids left except 4! Finn, Malena, Elaine(my favorite little girl in all of Germany!) and Moritz!(Elaine and Moritz are Finn's best friends) Like I said, Elaine is my favorite little girl!! she's 4 years old and has been so cute with me! she learned fast that i can't really speak german(i told her) and so she would say things slow for me, and explain in small words what she was saying... and what all the other kids said. and if i still didn't understand she'd take me by the hand and point, or walk over to the mom or dad of my host family and politely tell them what i didn't understand. sooo cute!! Her parents and the parents of my host family are the god parents of each other's kids, so I'll be watching her and her sister Josie occasionally too(Josie is 7 and just as cute as Elaine!)
Well the 4 kids slept in the Cellar except they didn't really sleep until about midnight!!! It really was sooo cute though!! I loved the kids!

I sure felt stupid though having all these little kids trying to speak simple and explain for me instead of the other way around.... i learned a lot from them though!! :)

the pictures are: Finn's birthday place decorations, All the kids sitting at the talbe like pirates at dinner(feet on the table!), the little boy in blue is the birthday boy himself doing the Egg race, and the little girl in white is my new little friend Elaine!
uhh... dunno what happened with the pictures over lapping but if you just click on them you can see them big! :) sorry!

from Neckarsulm to Heitersheim!!

Well today was an especially great day!!! :) :) :)

I woke up and got ready for the day and packed my suitcases and then we headed to Heike's baptism(into her church!!) It was really great and I'm so happy for her!! I was kinda lost a little during some stuff just cuz I didn't understand them but it was really good aside from that. I ended up having to go up and sing a song with the youth of the choir(we learned it the night before) but it actually was a lot of fun!!

after the baptism i talked to some of heike's friends and then we went to the church in Neckarsulm(the baptism was in Heilbronn because Neckarsulm church doesn't have a font) well as we were getting ready to start cake and coffee(or apfelschorle or water or whatever they had aside from coffee) heike's cell phone started ringing and it was my family. They were at Heike's in Amorbach!

So let me go back... big mess! heike's baptism was at 2:30. My family said they'd be there at 3. i emailed them back and said no please come at like 5 or 6 but i never heard back from them. so we left for the baptism and i put a note on heike's door saying i was gone and that they should call me when they got to heike's. i was afraid they were going to call in the middle of the baptism. lucky for me they got stuck in traffic!!! so we ran from the church in Neckarsulm to Heike's9about 5 min away) and we loaded all my things into their car and said goodbye and headed off and heike and her mom went back to the party.

It was about a 2 hour long ride but it was so nice! It was only the parents of my family because they thought it would be too long of a ride for the boys(which it would have been because of traffic) but it was nice to talk to them and get to know them and they are so great!!
We got to Heitersheim and went and picked up the boys(they were at a friends house)! they are soooo cute!!! we got to the house and Steven gave me the tour and showed me my room! it's sooo cute!!! :) :) I love it!!

then they put the boys to sleep and we ate some food(the boys had ate at their friends house)
tomorrow is Finn(the oldest boy)'s birthday and so we decorated and wrapped some presents and i'm really excited for his birthday! except there will be 8 of his friends, him AND ole running around tommorrow, so we'll see how it goes!! :) Wish me luck!!!
That's all for tonight, I'm totally way tired and it's super late!!!
Bis Morgen! :)

Awkward Turtle....

June 13, 2009

saturday is a special day it's the day we get ready for sunday..... :)
haha today that really was true! Heike is getting baptized tomorrow!! Markus(a kid from her church) came and picked us up in the morning and we went to Heilbronn so they could practice and learn about what's going on with their baptism tomorrow. I just kinda sat there not really knowing what was being said(but understanding even more than yesterday!) and then Heike and I walked through Heilbronn to a great electronics store!!
I bought myself a straighter and a hair dryer!! :) I really like them!! Then we walked through Heilbronn to the main bus station and waited for a bit for our bus back to Amorbach.

Heike came up with the idea that I should buy my own bus ticket(of course she wouldn't let me pay for it though...) and so I was all ok.... shouldn't be too hard right?! so I got on the bus and saw the guy in front of me having to pay 3,20 for his ticket. I had 3 euro.... hmm... so i gave him my 3 euro and took my ticket and walked away... and as i walked away he yelled something at me about money so i turned around and pulled out my wallet thinking i owed him some more.... well i didn't really understand him and he was kinda ownery and he told me something about ,40 euro so i thought i owed him ,40 euro. but then heike came to my rescue and told me i was getting ,40 euro BACK!! ok.... lol i felt really stupid after that.

So we went to Neckarsulm and guess what we did?!? we took a nap! lol! so great! then we ate and then went to choir practice. i learned the songs they'd sing at the baptism the next day. and we decorated for the baptism after party.

after choir we went to heikes and then went and picked up Bob and Lonne and headed to a birthday party. It was a party for the cousin of their friend Lisann's boyfriend simon! weird I know.... well it wasn't too bad and there were parents there and everything was good. I was understanding so much German and i was happy! :) I actually had a fairly long conversation with heike and her friends all in german. :) well a ways through the party this kid simon(let's call him awkward kid cuz it wasn't Lisann's simon, it was a different simon...) well anyway awkward kid came up to me and just started talking to me and ended up sitting next to me speaking english to me for like an hour and it was so awkward!!! I had taught heike and her friends awkward turtle earlier in the party so it was really funny awkward kid and i were just sitting there talking and her friends walked by and i did awkward turtle and Bob just sat there and talked with us the rest of the time. I was so happy and grateful to her!! :)

we left the party and Simon(lisann's simon) gave us a ride home. I went to sleep and felt like I'd never wake up.... lol

Back in Neckarsulm.....

June 11, 2009

As I stumbled off of the plane with my carry on bag all I could think of was "i wonder who's waiting for me...." After following baggage claim signs for about 10 minutes I finally found my suitcases and got them on a luggage cart. A short stop to exchange money(stupid! $50 was only 25 euro!) and a few passport checks later I headed through the door to find out who was waiting for me!! It was Heike and her parents!! i was so excited to see them again!!! We headed to the car and got everything loaded and then headed home... i was so tired the car ride seemed to last forever!!! We finally made it to Heike's and we unloaded all of my stuff from the car and up to my room. By this time we were all so tired because Heike and her parents had woke up early and so we tooka nap. it was so nice to be back in my old room!!! I slept so well and then when i woke up we ate lunch!! I love German fod!!! It was so great to be back in Neckarsulm again!!! :) I had to make sure everyone knew I got here ok so after lunch I got online for a few minutes and emailed my family!! I went and cleaned up some and when I got done and went down stairs, Heike's friends were there waiting! It was so great to see them all again!!!! I love her friends!!! We had waffels and just talked... or more so they talked. Not gonna lie, I did feel a little stupid and homesick just because they were speaking German almost the whole time and I didn't understand them, but hey, I don't expect them to speak English for me since I'm in Germany.... It made me miss my friends back home but it was really great to just be with them again even if I didn't understand everything.

after they all left, Heike and I went and sat in her room and looked at her Exchange scrapbooks, and then pictures on my lap top. I love pictures!!! :) :)

June 12, 2009

Today was so great!!! We woke up and got ready for school and I got to eat yummy yogurt again!! :) :) Heike's mom took us to school which was nice cuz I was still tired and didn't think i would make it on the bike!! :) As we started walking through the school yard i saw isi, one of the german girls from the exchange and I waved to her but she just stared at me for a few minutes and so we kept walking. then suddenly I heard "AHHHH! CAMI!!" and Isi and finally realized who I was!! I laughed so hard because it was really funny!! Heike and I headed to her Chemistry class after I talked to Isi for a few minutes and I saw Carolin!! we didn't get to talk for too long cuz we here headed to class but that's ok cuz after Chemistry heike had math and i didn't want to go(her math teacher is mean and scares me) and caro had like a job fest assembly thing that she didn't want to go to so we sluffed together and just sat at some tables in a hall and talked!! it was so great to et caught up with everything!!

It was so funny during the breaks between classes I'd go out to the school yard and soon I'd have this group of exchange kids all just standing around me talking to me! I wish I had got to see them all, but I'm glad I saw as many as I did!! I missed them all so much! and I'll have a lot of opportunities to see them all!!

after school Heike, her friend Lonne and I went in to town and went to Härdtner, the bakery heike and all her friends work at. I got a yummy sandwich and then we headed to theater club. It was really funny to watch the practice in German and cool I could understand a bit better than the night before.

When theater club was over Heike Lonne and I went to the bus stop to wait for the bus to Amorbach. we were just sitting there when we heard someone call "heike...." but we couldn't see who it was. then we heard "Lonne...." and looked and a girl from their class was sticking her head out of a taxi. she was riding with her friend who had got a taxi for her birthday(yeah i'm not POSITIVE why because i was a little confused but I think her dad drives taxi so he got her one for her birthday as well) so anyway... they gave us a ride to Amorbach and Heike and I just chilled all day until about 7 when we went down stairs to look at pictures of heike when she was small to pass the time until Bob and Hennie(some of heikes friends) got to her house so we could watch a movie. heike was so cute!! i mean, she still is but she was an adorable little girl!!! :) :) she's changed so much!! OH! and did I say she has short blond hair now?!?! yeah weird huh!? it's cute though!! just really different!!
so we watched this stupid movie and then just talked until Hennie and Bob left.

Then I called my mom and talked to her and it was so great to talk to her again! I thought I would get really homesick talking to her, but I didn't so that was really nice!! By this point i was about ready to fall over from exhaustion so i went finally got some sleep!! :)

joy in the journey?

Whoever came up with the phrase “finding joy in the journey” has never had a delayed flight before! Tuesday June 9 started what was suppose to be my “beautiful journey,” and it didn’t start it out very well. After an all night packing frenzy with my mom, my brother came to pick us up at 6 am to head to the airport. My plane was scheduled to leave at 9:40. I had called the airport and checked on my flight and they said it was on time. However, by the time I made it to the airport, my flight had been delayed by 2 HOURS! This was a bit of a problem….. my connecting flight to Germany was suppose to take off 2 hours and ten minutes after my first flight landed.

I was getting pretty nervous by the time they started boarding the plane, but they started boarding a bit sooner than they thought so I relaxed a bit. We got on the plane, and I found my seat buddies! J I sure lucked out on the flight from Salt Lake to New Jersey, I got to sit by three sister missionaries just leaving the MTC . Things were looking up when we started taxing down the tarmac, until the plane stopped and the captain came on saying that they delayed us a bit so we had to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes. I knew there was no way I was going to make my plane!! Lucky for me, the plane took off after only 10 minutes! I thought to myself… “maybe I will make it then….” I thought too early!

After a long flight to Jersey, I grabbed my carry on’s, and booked it off the plane. I had no clue where to go! I found a nice young man that works in Security and was willing to help me figure out where I needed to go and when I got there, the Air India people told me I was not going to catch any flight that night. My plane had already left. I went up to the Air India room and they gave me a voucher saying I had missed my flight due to a late flight previous, and that I would be catching the flight the next day. This did not comfort me any. I was histerical, really I was. L My mom called one of the greatest men I know, who happens to travel a lot and he called to help calm me a little bit and to let me know some options I had. There were a few other people who had missed the Air india flight and were really mad. He talked to one of the ladies and then he talked to me again and told me just to breath. I got off the phone, and turned to listen to what everyone else was saying to Air India just in time to see the office door close. They were totally un willing to listen to anything any of us had to say.
Not knowing what to do, I headed down to the Delta Baggage claim to make sure my luggage was safe and not on some far off plane to who knows where. They had my luggage for me, and when they asked what was wrong I started crying really hard again. When they heard I had been on their plane when my flight was delayed, they told me not to worry about anything. The nice lady behind the counter started calling some people on the phone while the young man there was just asking me all kinds of questions about my family, where I was from, where I was going and other fun questions like that, trying to calm me. They gave me a glass of water and I found my inhailer and then I was good. When the lady finally got off the phone she walked up to me with three ticket looking things. She handed them to me and then explained what was going on. One of them was a hotel voucher, and the other two were meal vouchers. She had called a hotel so that I would not have to spend the night at the airport and so that I could go and relax and get some good food that I didn’t have to pay for. I think they just felt really really bad for me, and when they found out I was only 17 they felt even worse!

I headed on the airtrain to the hotel courtesy transportation vehicles and then headed to the hotel. My room was really really nice, and all the people there were really nice too. I cleaned up some and just relaxed and then went and got food. It tasted so good and filled me up really fast(which was good cuz the only thing I’d eaten all day was an apple at about 7am) I slept and then headed back to the airport the next morning.

When Air India had given me my ticket voucher for the next day airplane, they told me that it left at 2. I made sure I was at the airport in plenty of time to catch my plane, not wanting to miss it again, only to find out that it did not leave at 2, but instead it left at 6:30pm. I had got to the airport at 10am.
So I hung around at the airport for almost an entire day just playing on my computer and with my little activity books(word find and sudoku!) until about noon when some of the other people that had missed the same plane i did got there. then we talked until 2:30 when i went to go check my bags in...

again with the fun.... NOT! Stupid airline, I could only have 1 carry on, but on Delta I could have 2. so I had to go up to the ATM and get out $100 just so I could check my small carry on suitcase(that was $90)

I went through security(oh fun once more.... only this time I wasn't crying!) and then I sat in the waiting area to board the plane for like another 3 hours!! it was so boring!! I finally got on the plane(which was HUGE) and we took off!! :) I was happy I got to sit by the window. I watched Mamma Mia, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-2! it was a joyful flight. I slept for about an hour and then I was ready to get off the plane!!!!

It was really weird to loose a day, because i got to Germany at like 8:00 am, on thursday, and I got on the plane at 6:30 pm wednesday. but that's ok!! it was so great to see Heike and her parents again!(They came to the airport!!!) oh happy day happy day!!!!