How was your Christmas?

Our Christmas was full of family time fun, some surprises, and of course, amazing food. We spent the holiday with G's parents, near Frankfurt. Instead of driving, this year we decided to take the train. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that the whole train experience was the exact opposite of what I imagined. It wasn't the cold, uncomfortable, and extremely loud train ride I remember on Amtrak from my college days. We had a small glass encased room, with a table, reclining seats, and even wait staff. Anyway, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th in Germany so my Christmas Eve was fantastic. As I've mentioned before, G's Mom is the Martha Stewart of Germany, so to say that we overate is an understatement. She served a different meal for every dinner and every plate on the table was practically licked clean - I started wearing my loose fitting jeans in the evening! She has a way of making every meal just perfect. Here's our table on Christmas Eve afternoon.


Denzel's first Christmas was full of more firsts...

His first Christmas present wasn't an instant hit. He was freaked out by the squeaking starfish. But after one day of close inspection and a lot of test bites, now it's his favorite toy to try to rip apart!

He also had his first experience with stairs. He was brave for the first two steps and then he got stuck.

And he survived G's first "let's see what he does when we....." idea.


We spent a lot of evenings playing Monopoly. It was the first time I played with G and his family and let me just say, they take the game to another level. It was a Monopoly War! Now I understand how G can make me go bankrupt, every time we play. But I had to forgive him for kicking my butt in front of his family because he gave me such a cool Christmas gift. It was a small white paper package and when I opened it, it was a piece of cheese. Huh? You can imagine my facial expression. But then he told me to read the inside of the wrapping....

The inside of the wrapping is a flag and printed in the middle are the details of our trip to Amsterdam! Anyone have any suggestions on things to see or do in Amsterdam:)

Fabelhaft!

Was denkst du über mein neues Bett?

Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt

der Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt

Glühwein

One of my favorite things about Munich is spending a winter afternoon or evening at a Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market.
Last year, G was my tour guide and naturally, he introduced me to Glühwein. I did not think I would like it. It is literally spiced red wine, served warm. But after my first cup, I was hooked. It was not that I started to like the taste but, how can I say this without sounding like an alcoholic....it gives you a little extra pep in your step and the cold weather seems a lot warmer! Well, this season, I discovered Weiß-Glühwein, which is made with white wine instead of red wine. Yummy! And on Saturday, we are going to Germany's most famous Weihnachtsmarkt -
der Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt.

Wochenrückblick

What a week! I had my final Deutschprüfung (German Language Test) on Wednesday and I passed! I not only passed but I performed well above average. I'm proud of myself, because the last couple of weeks have been very difficult for me emotionally and I've been so preoccupied with Denzel. I haven't had the desire or time to study as much. I forgot how cool but still extremely time consuming it is to raise a puppy. And I've taken him to class every day! The third and final intensive course begins on Monday. I'm excited about the last course because this is where all of the hard work from the first two courses come together and when I complete it, I should be, dare I say, fluent. I'm serious...fluent! Hmmmm.... We shall see:)
And my girlfriend will continue in the course too. Learning German is so much easier when you can talk about girl/expat stuff during the breaks. Yup, she's also American and married to a German. And Denzel? He had a busy week. He had his first check up (he has a little cold), first day of school (he's already a Lady's Man), a ton of new toys and treats (he's afraid of the mini soccer ball), and his first experience walking on a leash (he's not a fan). We can only walk him for about 10 minutes at a time so I usually carry him in my shopping basket. I think he likes it because he's so warm. He just sleeps the entire time.

And he loves his new rope.

But paper towel rolls are fun too.

Ein Baby

We are very happy to introduce you to our new puppy,
Denzel Washington. He arrived Saturday morning, from New York.
He is a Puggle and only weighs 3.2 kilograms but he is a ton of fun! He plays nonstop until he passes out. It's hilarious just watching him. He has brought a little sunshine back into our home. We are excited, a little nervous, and understandably overprotective but soooo ready to love him.

God is good and He has blessed us...again.

Our Boy

Robbie
December 5, 2005 - November 23, 2007
Wir werden dich nie vergessen. Wir lieben dich für immer.

There are no words to describe the absolute horror and overwhelming pain we are feeling right now. We are struggling every day to be strong and to find comfort in the thought that we were so blessed to have had such a beautiful and vibrant puppy in our lives.

Thanksgiving 07

Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving the traditional Ethiopian way.

2 Hours 37 Minutes

And not one dull moment. See this film!

Think about it...

God made woman beautiful and foolish.
Beautiful, that man might love her;
and foolish, that she might love him.

-Anonymous

Those Tiny Details

On Sunday, despite the high winds and freezing rain, we ventured out to our favorite Indian restaurant, Ganga. This restaurant is kind of special because it was one of the first restaurants G took me to, during my first visit to Munich.
I'll never forget how we sat in the back of the restaurant, snuggling and holding hands, and talking about the possibility of me moving to Munich....The staff was so warm and friendly, giving us privacy, politely offering me an English menu, describing each dish, and even making a heart in the middle of our saffron rice. Those small touches have kept us going back over the years. And the food? It was and still is authentic and delicious.

Goth or Glam?

Black is the nail polish color of the moment, but is it for you?
I'm a fan!

Do You Smell That?

Yesterday I learned a valuable lesson: Never talk on the phone while baking.

Der Spaß ist vorbei.

It's that time again. Back to school. German language school. I had a long break, almost 6 months. I'm surprised that so much information just sort of faded away from my memory - akkusativ, dativ, genitiv, ahhh! But on the upside, I can speak and read a million times better than before. I think that comes from daily life, not learning in a classroom setting. And yes, I'm already complaining about being tired and having homework every day but this time, I have someone to share my misery. My girlfriend, Eve, is taking the same course. We are both focused on being fluent.....
and having lunch at a different restaurant every day.

Dubai

We spent the second half of our honeymoon in Dubai. It's one of the coolest places I've ever visited. It's an ultra modern and international city, with unbelievable shopping, the desert, and such exotic and rich cultural experiences, all rolled into one. It is now one of our favorite destinations. We've already started looking for flights for New Year's Eve! As expected, the Burj Al Arab is spectacular. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach with this view...

We went camelback riding in the desert...

I even tried sandboarding!

We also shopped at a spice and gold souk.

The Maldives

We're back. Our honeymoon was just wonderful...almost surreal. We spent the first half in The Maldives. Our island was perfect on every level - totally secluded, pristine beaches, crystal clear water, excellent fresh food, and sooooo romantic. G surprised me with a jacuzzi tub that sat on the deck of our water villa, so watching the sunset in the tub together every evening was divine!