Life Happens

Ok. It's obvious that this blog has fallen down my life's totem pole of priorities. It's not that I've lost interest or the desire. I still have funny stories, complaints, recipes, and adventures I want to share. There are still those moments in my life when I say to myself, "Gotta remember that for my blog." Or when I upload pictures and I see a shot that I want to immediately post, because I can't believe I've actually captured exactly what I was feeling at the time. It's just that now, instead of taking the 15 minutes to blog, I choose to do something else. Or something else just needs to be done. I started this blog to record and share the most precious and the most mundane aspects of my life. I didn't know that my blog would inadvertently bring new friends and even allow us to relive some of the most joyous and most painful events in our lives. Blogging has been a blessing. So I know that in time, I will figure out how to get my blogging grove back. Until then, please bear with my catch up posts:)

I teach an early Saturday morning class and to my surprise, G wakes up at 630am and actually takes the class. Every single Saturday. Sweet, right? Well, the other night, he says to me -

G: "So what's up with the Gays?"
S: "What?"
G: "The Gays. You know, the Gays...in your yoga class."
S: "WHAT are you talking about? The Gays?"
G: "The Gays! You always say, Take your gays to the left or up or over your shoulder."
S: "You mean GAZE? Your gaze means where you should look."
G: "Oh. Ok. I didn't know that word."

Priceless.


Recently, I had a super fun weekend with my girlfriend that I have known since I was about 12. G spent a weekend in Berlin so my girlfriend flew in to hang out. I didn't realize how much I needed some girl time. We talked for hours. It's crazy (and a little scary) how much we know about each other! And we had a fantastic dinner in Georgetown at a well known Ethiopian restaurant called Zed's. It's probably the best dinner I've had in DC so far. But I think that had a lot to do with the company.

I finally took my CPR/AED certification course. I've always wanted to take it and I'm finding that a lot of teaching positions require it. I'm happy that I took it and I feel confident with the skills that I've learned. HOWEVER. 5 hours? 5 hours for about an hour of information? Brutal.

Beef Tips, Potato Pancakes, & Ribs

We started last weekend off right - on Thursday night, we met up with our friend and fellow blogger Maria, for Denzel's first Doggy Happy Hour. Cute, right? We were impressed with the spacious outdoor set up and Denzel was ecstatic to meet so many friends. He also woofed down (ha ha) his appetizer of beef tips and peas. We had such a cool time hanging out and just catching up, I know we'll be back this summer.

On Saturday, we went to a DC United match. We took the train into the city for a change, so that G could enjoy himself. And he did. It was sponsored by Volkswagen and when we walked into the company suite, it was full of German beer, wine, and food. G was in heaven. But I was in rare form - I seriously ate about 40 Kartoffelpuffer. Good times.

Sunday evening, I made a soul food dinner for our friends from Leipzig. I made Baby Back Ribs, Macaroni and Cheese, Greens, Cornbread, and Peach Cobbler. It was my first attempt at ribs - I slow baked them for 4 1/2 hours. And I didn't even taste them - I've officially taken the plunge into vegetarian life but, according to G and our friends, they came our perfect. Yaaah!

Gauchos Galore

With promises of swordfish and salmon, G finally persuaded me into going to a Brazilian steakhouse, Chima. And after a fun farewell dinner for our friend, who at this very moment is on a plane heading home, all I have to say is - wow - it was pretty damn good. I don't eat beef, pork, or chicken, but our five friends thought the selection was excellent - 16 rotisserie meats and the fish, which I thought was seasoned and grilled just the way I would do it myself. Yum.

I honestly savored each and every bite because I've been really really considering and much to G's dismay, obsessing (ha!) about giving myself a healthy birthday present this year ---
going green. Becoming a vegetarian. Think I can do it? Only one more week to decide....

Fly Lounge

We found another winner. Love, love, love Fly. The inside of this tiny yet packed club resembles the interior of a private jet, complete with waitresses dressed up like naughty flight attendants. The music was so funky and unexpected - from Kanye to Bob Marley remixes, we stayed on the dance floor. And I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of the random cool bursts of foggy air that shot onto the dance floor.

Oh, who knew Stoli Blueberi was so yummy?

Partying with Lindsay Lohan

On Saturday night, we were invited to The Park, one of DC's hottest clubs of the moment. I use the word invited because to my surprise, in order to get in, you have to be invited (on the list) or hold the much coveted VIP card. Okay.... But as we walked in, passing one beautiful bouncer boy after another, hostesses that looked like super models, plus the bartenders with minimal clothing and the interior - four floors of ultra modern decor, with views overlooking Franklin Square, I knew we were in for a treat. We started off with a group shot, The Lindsay Lohan. The ingredients - a Red Headed Slut with Coke. Love it! So much that we continued partying with Lindsay the entire night. The music was a perfect blend of electro and hip hop. G danced at The Park more than he did at our wedding! For our first club experience in DC, we struck gold.

The Good, The Bad & The Maggots

On Saturday morning, we decided to spend the afternoon at the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. We both have heard about the great deals you can find on high quality clothes from a lot of people who live here. Not your typical outlet mall stuff. So, in anticipation of a long afternoon shopping, I decided to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast - shopping fuel for the body. And when I cracked open the first egg in the pancake mix, I saw that my egg had 2 yolks. Twins. Isn't that supposed to be good luck? We decided it was and it was a sign that we would find amazing deals that afternoon.

So after 5 hours of shopping, it's official - I am a fan. My favorite outlet stores were Juicy, BCBG (I seriously started clapping my hands and squealing when I saw the racks of summer dresses on sale), Puma, and Off 5th. These stores really have an excellent selection with huge discounts. And out of all of our purchases, G found the coolest deal. Check out the silver Pumas.

G is well aware of the fashion faux pas of wearing mismatch athletic logos. He just refuses to accept it.

We couldn't go home empty handed, without a present for Denzel, so we stopped at Petco to grab a new Kong toy. We decided to buy the Dental Stick with the Stuff'n Tots treats. When we got home and opened the Stuff'n Tots container, we saw that it was infested with tiny dead flies and maggots. There was also some kind of spider web film on the inside. WTF? G immediately went online and wrote the Kong company a nasty e-mail. And then we discovered some of the maggots weren't even dead.....when we saw them crawling out of the container onto our kitchen counter. GROSS! We sent photos along with that e-mail. We can't wait to hear their response.

On Sunday night, we joined KT and her fiance for dinner, at Konami. We had a hilarious time talking about weddings and marriage. She and her fiance are both divorced so their perspective is a little different than ours. But hey, they are ready for round two! The sushi was......interesting. You know how when you take a bite of something and once it hits your taste buds, you instantly know something is off? I got that feeling with the first bite of a spider roll. And my suspicions were confirmed by a night of tossing and turning and a full day with a queasy stomach and no appetite. G had some stomach issues too. That was our first and last dinner there.

Signs

We had a funny conversation with some friends, over dinner at Big Bowl recently. We were talking about when you say or do certain things and suddenly you realize that those are the telltale signs that you are getting old. For example, when we were in Virginia Beach, there was a little boy, he had to be under 5 years old, walking down the beach alone, looking around like he was lost. As soon he passed us, I called out to him, "Are you lost, Sweetie? Who are you looking for?" The little boy looked at me like I was a weirdo and said no, that he wasn't lost, he was looking for his family. He knew they were lying next to a blue umbrella. End of story, right? No. I didn't believe him. First of all, what parent in their right mind, would allow a 5 year old to walk around Virginia Beach alone? And second, there had to be a hundred blue umbrellas in that area. So I got up and followed him, a little ways behind because it was obvious he was afraid of me, just to make sure he was ok. G laughed and called me a paranoid Grandma because I didn't take the little boy's word that he was fine. And to prove G right, of course after walking down the beach for about 5 minutes, he did meet up with his parents. A little embarrassed, I turned around and walked back to our spot, thinking...Oh my gosh, I am getting old. That was something my Mom would have done! But last week, it was G's turn. For three nights in a row, we had to listen to the teenagers next door, party all night. I'm talking constant blaring music, yelling and laughing, pounding the walls, and screaming down the hallways. By the third night, G had had enough. He walks over and knocks on the door. When they finally open up, he puts his hand on his hips and uses his Terminator voice and says, "You are getting on my nerves. This is the third night of partying. If you don't be quiet I will call the police. Don't make me come here again. Goodbye." The teenagers were silent. And then they apologized. I couldn't believe it. G comes home with a big smile on his face and we get ready for bed. About 10 minutes later, as we are standing in our kitchen, we can hear all of them leaving and walking to the elevators. End of story, right? No. Someone yells, "I f***ing love you Sarah!!!!!" This pushes G over the edge. He swings open the door, boxer shorts and all, and screams at the top of his lungs. He completely cussed out the kids standing at the elevator. He instantly transformed from the Terminator to Andrew Dice Clay (here is another sign of old age, making references to celebrities who were popular 15 years ago). I wish I could have taken a picture - G in his underwear screaming and the teenagers with looks of horror on their faces. Priceless. We haven't had any problems since. No parties on this floor. Yup, Grandpa totally showed those kids who's boss.

Exotisches Essen

How was your weekend? Our weekend started with an oversized Mexican dinner at Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe with our friend, KT. Rio is known for their homemade tortilla chips and salsa.
They're served warm and every time you get down to the last chip, a server magically appears with a new basket of chips, over and over and over again, no matter how many baskets you devour. Obviously, this is one of G's favorite restaurants. After way too many frozen Margaritas and our huge entrees (orgasmic shrimp quesadillas), we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant for a very special meeting. We wanted to introduce Denzel to KT's baby, a Chihuahua, Miss VS. He's really cute and cuddly BUT....with the attitude of a tasmanian devil. Seriously. G and I think he's just pissed off that his name is MISS VS. Needless to say, the meeting didn't go as well as we'd hoped because every time KT put Miss VS down, he growled uncontrollably and his tiny little body shook with anger!

On Saturday, we went shopping at the international grocery store, Fresh World. We have been shopping at Fresh World every week because of the wide variety of fresh produce and ethnic specialty items. The store stocks its shelves with edibles from too many countries to name, with authentic and unique ingredients. I love browsing the aisles and trying new recipes. And they offer samples on Saturdays:) But no matter how many times we shop there, I am still shocked by some of the "exotic" items they offer.

beef blood

live eel

shark

beef knee cap

It Hurts So Good

Last night, we had dinner with our friend, KT, at Ariake. She's been telling us for a while now that Ariake is her favorite sushi restaurant in Virginia and considering the fact that KT is from Virginia and likes to eat out as much as we do, we had high expectations. Well, it did not disappoint. The sushi was excellent and the Chef's Specials were especially creative. My favorite was the Spicy Crab. Now, I love spicy food. So much that there have been occasions when G has broken out in a sweat while eating some of concoctions. My Mom hates it when I cook Greens because she says I ruin the entire pot by adding too many Jalapeño peppers. And with sushi, even when I order something labeled spicy, I have to add a little Wasabi to give it that extra kick. But the Spicy Crab at Ariake? It's on a another level. For the first time in my life, I woke up in the middle of the night with heartburn. Me? Heartburn? I told G about it this morning. But I did not complain. The Spicy Crab was so good, it was worth the burn!

The Dancing Crab

Have you heard of the famous steamed Maryland Blue Crabs? The ones that are served whole and you have to use a mallet to crack open the shell and then navigate your way through all of the sticky gooey stuff to pluck out the sweet delicious meat? Well, we decided to try them for the first time and they were awesome! We met up with Maria & Kevin & The Boy on Friday night at The Dancing Crab and gorged ourselves with crab meat, fries, and hush puppies. I have to admit, when I smashed my first crab and looked at all of the internal organs, I was a little bit intimidated. It was strange to just push aside the lungs (yes, lungs) and dig for meat in the tiny little creature. But by my second crab, I was concentrating too hard on finding the meat to think about my conscious! Horrible, I know. But we really had a fun night with Maria and Kevin. It's amazing how much you can see your own relationship in another couple's relationship:) And The Boy is soooooooo adorable and smart. Seriously, the baby knows sign language! And he was a total ladies man with all of the waitresses at the restaurant. I really think Maria and Kevin will have their hands full when he becomes a teenager. I mean, gorgeous and smart...Meine Güte!

Babies II

Last night, G and I met Christina, Rainer, & Oliver for dinner. First, I have to mention that Oliver is 7 months old now. Time really flies...
Remember that "delicate" tiny baby I talked about in September?
Well now, he is an active, bouncing, expressive and still, always smiling, baby boy. He is itching to walk! And don't even get me started on those blue eyes. We had a delicious Lebanese dinner at The Cedar Lounge. The hummus was so good, G asked me if I wanted to lick the empty bowl! It was nice to catch up and of course, talk about babies. Christina mentioned that she is so surprised that Oliver has those gorgeous blue eyes, because her eyes are so dark. I guess when you have multiracial parents, you never know exactly which features will be passed on to the baby. That made us wonder, what will our white chocolate babies look like....dark skin, light eyes? tanned skin, light hair? dark hair, dark eyes, light skin? One thing is for sure, our babies will be huge. I am 5'11 and G is 6'2. Yup, HUGE.

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.

Babies

After meeting Christina and her precious little baby, Oliver, I am even more doubtful about my "maternal instinct". Most psychiatrists agree that almost all mothers, human and animal alike, eventually have an inborn tendency to want to protect and nurture one's offspring. I understand that but what about the fear of screwing up, getting in the way of all that nurturing? Oliver is so sweet, with bright blue eyes, and he's already smiling. As I watched him, his tiny legs kicking and hands grasping, all I could think about was, "He's so...delicate." I was afraid to hold him because I thought I might squeeze him too tight, or talk too loud and scare the poor boy. Christina, who admits to never being a "baby person", is already a pro. She's totally calm, she doesn't freak out when he cries, and she held a long conversation with me, while eating her lunch, AND breastfeeding! So does that mean that because I am a "baby person" - always oohing and ahhing over complete strangers' babies - that I'm going to fail miserably? I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, G and I really need to start saving for our future white chocolate baby - did you know strollers can cost up to 1000 €?

Eine deutsche Hochzeit

G's best friend's wedding was so much fun - we are still trying to recuperate;) The ceremony and reception were beautiful. Every aspect was very romantic and heartfelt. Even their wishing well had a special meaning - they had a Hochzeitsschwein, or wedding piggy bank displayed. The gifts they received will fund their honeymoon, so the piggy bank covered in map paper was adorable. It was my first time attending a German wedding. I was excited to see the differences between German and American weddings, especially with my wedding coming up this month. But instead of finding differences, I found more similarities among the two. The bride's gown, flower girls, first dance, and cutting of the cake were the same. The toasts and the kissing on cue were also the same - except instead of the guests tapping their glasses, there was a block of ice with coins frozen inside, hoisted by a rope, directly over a pail. As the ice melted, every time a coin dropped into the pail, the couple had to kiss. Isn't that sweet?

It's true.

I really miss hanging out with the girls. American girls!
I didn't realize just how much until I met up with Michelle and Wis for lunch on Tuesday. We talked about girl stuff. Like our men, and how they can't match their clothes. And expat stuff. Like how difficult it is trying to learn German, and waiting for that epiphany, when all of the months of repetitive language classes and constantly being corrected, miraculously come together and BOOM~ we are fluent. Right. We talked so much, we forgot to order lunch. And naturally, we talked very, very loud.

The Mini

Robbie has found a new friend and a new hang out! I met a super nice American girl, who just married a German in February. They live about six blocks from us. She and I have a lot in common and they have a 5 month old Hovawart, named Polo. He and Robbie were instant friends. Isn't he cute? He always looks like he's smiling!

We've been meeting on a regular basis and they've turned us on to the coolest dog friendly beer garden in Munich, the Mini Hofbräuhaus in the Englischer Garten . It's smaller than a typical beer garden but with all of the same amenities. There are so many different breeds and personalities but in general, all of the dogs get along and run themselves ragged (without leashes) in a couple of hours. Yes, Robbie is finally playing without a leash and not running away from us!

Good Times

Well, after an extended weekend in Frankfurt and Köln, we are back home. On Saturday, we met Maria. We hung out with The Boy, had some world renown "Breakfast Punch", and headed to the Frankfurt Skyliners Basketball Game. I should mention that I was sweating and starting to talk loud before we even got to the game! Maria, I hope you pass on that recipe again.....I know you told me already but I can't remember:) The basketball game was pretty much the same as an NBA game in the US, with the exception of shorter periods and a smaller arena. And even though we lost, the fans were very loyal and supportive of the guys. After the game we all went to a party for the team at Sansibar, a fantabulous club with killer house music. We will definitely be retuning over the summer. Oh, and Maria picked up a can of Pam for me - I'm baking bread right now, as we speak.

Here's a picture of Ginger, Roby's future wife.

Sunday morning, we took G's Mother to the Frankfurt Intercontinental for Mother's Day Brunch. The food was excellent and the presentation was beautiful. Then we headed to Köln.

The Kölner Dom is breathtaking!


After doing the tourist thing all day, we had cocktails with another couple from Mannheim and called it a night. Monday, I spent the entire day shopping (G had meetings) but unfortunately, I did not find my wedding gown. But I did manage to find my way around the downtown area with a map. Definitely a first for me!

Hooking up and Hanging out

You know how you meet someone for the first time and instantly, you feel like you've known them for ten years already..….or you start talking to someone and you realize within 5 minutes, they have the same twisted sense of humor as you......or you find yourself talking about things you know you probably shouldn't with a stranger but it just feels right because they are totally normal and real and down to earth……or you talk and talk and laugh until your cheeks hurt and before you know it, three hours have passed by? Das ist Jen.