I'm back...

I had great intentions when this blog was created of updating friends and family,  as well as internet trolls and voyers,  on my travels and adventures.  I successfully blogged for about 3 months of what would become a 3 year chapter in my life. I suppose at about the 3 month mark it stopped being a trip for me and started being my life. I got busy, my social life kicked into full swing, I was working more, traveling more, spending more time drinking wine and having coffee with friends. Blogging just fell by the wayside. You guys missed a lot in my life as I missed much in yours. I forgot to blog about some really important people and places. I did some extensive traveling throughout Europe of course, but more importantly I found out a lot about myself and grew a great deal.

Blogging served a great role for me at the beginning. It kept me from having to tell the same story over and over to different friends and family. I could just direct everyone to my blog for details of my latest adventure. In hindsight, I wish I was able to keep it up. You see, I hate the phone. Making phone calls for me is like taking a trip to the dentist, I just really do not want to. If I can minimize that in my life, I will. And I have (maybe too much). My aversion to phone calls and the fact that I moved myself 5,000 miles away has really estranged me from friends and family back home. Actually, I haven't even had a phone for the last year. Though a bit frustrating at times, it's been very liberating.

So now I'm back in the US. My employment contract ended and I moved home. I have no car, no phone, I'm staying with mom and dad, my life is slowly arriving by mail (18 boxes are en route).  I'm in my hometown where I know very few people (read: I know a lot of people but more in the way that I get their updates on Facebook though I have not had an actual conversation with them in quite some time). I'm just temporarily here though. I'm home for a few months then moving to Japan (don't act so shocked, you knew I was bound to do something crazy). I'm in a transitional phase. 

So that's my life in a nutshell right now. I've decided to blog a little while I have the time. I'm constantly thinking "I should blog that" so now I guess I will.

Climb Every Mountain...

"Climb every Mountain
 Ford every stream,
 Follow every rainbow
 'Till you find your dream"

Or so sings the reverend mother/Boss-lady nun from 'The Sound of Music" (My all-time favorite movie!). What a great theme for a movie and for life - exhaust every resource until you achieve your dream(s)! Point taken - I'm working on it!

This film has been on my mind quite a bit lately as I prepare to venture to the Alps. I will be a mere 2 hours away from Salzburg when I arrive in my new/temporary hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. "The Sound of Music" was filmed in Salzburg and is based on a true story that happened there. I once did a research paper on the fact/fiction of the movie - let me know if you want to talk details on the subject because I'm seriously a Sound of Music Nerd (Don't judge me... you have your quirks too!)!  If you're the betting type, go ahead and put some big money down on seeing me on a hillside belting "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" sometime in the VERY near future. It's pretty high on my "Easily Achievable European To Do List"!

This to-do list is a work in progress. I do hope to "Climb Every Mountain" while I'm there. Ok, maybe not every mountain but you know, I want to do lots of cool stuff! Here is the short list of things I would like to do:

• See Salzburg - do all things Von Trapp!
• Visit the Alte Pinakothek in Munich
• Travel to Paris or Milan or Berlin (or all 3) for Fashion Week
• Royal Wedding in April - be there, steal the groom before he says "I do", become princess, invite blog followers to tea party at my new palace!
• Visit Rome at Christmas or Easter
• Octoberfest (duh!)
• BMWfest
• Visit Wittenberg - Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church doors here and thus began the Protestant Reformation... kind of a big deal...
• Visit Berlin - Berlin Wall, Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag and some of this random and interesting stuff ...
• Go metal detecting in a battle area
• Baden-Baden - casino, architecture, mineral baths (test own levels of comfort with public nudity go in a swimsuit)
• Visit the Black Forrest & buy a CooCoo Clock
• Have passport stamped in Liechtenstein (Do you think they have any works by Lichtenstein in Liechtenstein? I would need to see that too...)

Like I said, this list is my easily doable list. I have much loftier goals but I won't list them for fear of not accomplishing them and having the entire digital world knowing my short comings! If you have suggestions for either my easy list or my "probably not going to happen but wouldn't it be awesome if..." list, please leave some sugestions!

Goodbyes & Great-buys

I just experienced the world's best Birthday! I saw so many wonderful friends and was on the receiving end of an outpouring of B-day love. Last year I was a bit apprehensive about my birthday so, I wasn't sure how I would feel this year but so far, 25 is fantastic! I'm pretty certain that my impending move spurred elevated levels of emotion.  I had to say goodbye to a lot of fantastic friends for a while-it wasn't easy. There were a lot of hugs and some tears... It's going to be a great year and it will fly by but it's hard, nonetheless, to part ways with good friends.

On the happier end of things, I made off with some sweet swag! My friends (and family) know me pretty darn well! Check it:

 

That's right! I can now use phrases like "Your outfit looks really cheap" (dein outfit ist echt billig), "No thanks, Meth isn't my thing!" (Nee Meth ist nichts fur mich) or "Shut your trap" (Halt die klappe), among other really offensive and potentially useful terms. Awesome! 

Check out this precious houndstooth computer case! The red zipper/piping makes it the perfect companion for this Alabama fan and her MacBook Pro! Plus, it's big enough to hold all of my cords and things! Roll Tide!

There's nothing scandalous in that bag - just some really awesome tights and tops to keep me warm this winter. They are SO soft! I'm going to be one warm and comfortable lady! 

I received a few very unique and sure-to-be-useful notebooks.  The one that says "Traveler" is actually "A Voyager's Notebook" (this might have been a fantastic blog title now that I think about it...). I've never seen anything like it. It has tabs inside for: Itinerary, lodgings, restaurants & cafes, exhibits & events, markets & shops and addresses. It will certainly be handy. The standing notebook is simply amazing! My dear friend Amy gave me this unlined journal and filled the first 15 or so pages with pictures of us and our adventures together as well as extremely thoughtful notes. It made me cry!




I received a handful of other fantastic gifts too but, some of them were pretty hard to photograph (like the super cool hooded scarf with pockets or the uber festive holiday apron!). I am so thankful for my thoughtful and gracious friends! They made some great-buys and made my day very special!

If you noticed, I mentioned crying more than once in this blog post. If you know me, you know that I'm not much of a crier! This week is going to be tough and has already been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Beware of the tears - they are on the loose! I'll try to rein them back in but I can't make any promises! I'll be back to my normal, stone cold, tearless self in a few days! :)

Bavaria Bound

I'm moving and this time it's going to require more than a Uhaul to get my things and I to our new destination.  I've taken a job through the Department of Defense and will be moving to Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany for 13 months to work at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort.  Edelweiss is a US government owned and operated R&R facility for active and retired military and their families. It is about an hour South of Munich near the German border with Austria and Switzerland in the Alps. By all accounts, it's beautiful. I'm not sure what I'll be doing just yet, I'll know more when I arrive, but I'm excited for this adventure and for the doors this will hopefully open. 

I will be leaving from Birmingham on December 12th. Before that happens I have a lot of packing to do, some shopping (let's face it, I'm from Alabama - I'm not prepared for "real" winter!), visiting/goodbyes with friends, Thanksgiving, a Birthday, makeshift/early Christmas and who knows what else. I guess I also need to work on acquiring some followers for this little blog!