Christmas Markets - German Style!

So, while my parents were here we became somewhat fanatical about going to German Christmas Markets... They have become one of my favorite things in the entire world. They are full of lights, rides for the kids, good (fatty) foods and treats, and stand upon stand of toys and knick-knacks to give as Christmas gifts. You can buys wooden nativities, specialized candles and license plates, Christmas tree ornaments, snow-globes, metal-worked animals, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. The smell of waffles, crepes, brawts, reibekuchen (potato pancakes), caramel apples, chocolate covered fruits, donner fries, cotton candy, hot cocoa, and mulled wine waft through the lanes as you stroll past each booth. Plus, it's just got a spirit about it... People are so happy to be there and full of the Christmas heart of everything. I'm in love with German Christmas'.



Above: I took Finni on a ride on the Ferris Wheel at Bonn's Christmas Market and he LOVED it! He was giggling and smiling the entire time... It was very, very cute! Below: Nico and Finn love looking at the window displays of all the Christmas animals - It's kinda nice cause it's not about selling the products as much about the Christmas display in Bonn.

Here are some pictures of Cologne, Bad Musterheifel, and Aachen's Christmas Markets...

Above: My FAVORITE food in Germany and especially at the Christmas Markets! :)






Above: That is mistletoe -real mistletoe. Just practicing... Haha!!! Below: There was also a medieval Christmas Market in a little place called Stazvey that we went to! It's surrounding and inside of the Burg (castle) there, and we really beautiful... It was a bit touristy, but we enjoyed it - especially my sister!

Above: DON'T DRINK AND FLY. CLASSIC.







"Ausgang"= Exit... and therefore, I am making mine.
German Christmas Markets, I heart YOU.
*muah*

Song of the Day: So, this show called Glee (don't know if you've heard of it...) put together some song "mash-ups" that I adore. A few weeks ago, they had Gwyneth Paltrow on as a guest star and she sang a "mash-up" song with Matthew Morrison and the cast that I listen to regularly on my IPod now... Here is the Glee Cast (and Gwyneth) with Singing in the Rain/Umbrella. Enjoy!!!

P.S. Did you know JAMIE CULLUM did a "mash-up" of the same two songs back in 2009?! Did they steal the idea? I think so... Both are great, just very different - so here is his version!

Eighteen Goes Out to a True Player!

This next individual I have chosen for a thankfulness message is someone I don't know very well personally. In fact, I have only met this person "in-person" once, many years ago. We worked at the MTC at the same time, but never had the same permanent shift time. We met one day when she or I was covering for someone else. Years later, she became friends with one of my best friends, Sarah, and we started interacting via blogs, facebook, and email. For some reason, she was someone I always remembered... She sticks out in your mind - in a good way, too. She has a good heart and a kind demeanor, and one of the most positive attitudes I have ever seen. She inspires me when she writes about her life and a tough time with such hope and optimism. It is how we ALL should be. She really has been a blessing in my life, without being directly in my life... kinda weird, but it's the truth.

Today, I was to give a thankfulness shout-out to, Tiffanie Player!

She just shines, and I am excited to one day spend more time with her in real life, rather than just the virtual contact. She is someone I already know that I can connect with, and look to her example for strength and courage. I wish there was a better way to express this situation, but I don't have it... eh! Something else that I adore about her, and I hope this is not to touchy an area, but she is an older, single woman with her mind set on bettering herself and growing how she can. She has someone VERY special out there for her, and they are going to blow most other men out of the water - I'm sure. How do I know this? She inspires me without an ounce of effort, which is quite amazing. She let's me know that I am amazing and worthwhile with little comments sent at the right moments. I am thankful for our small correspondence, and I truly hope it will grow more into a friendship. Today, I am thankful for YOU, Tiffanie! :)
*muah*

Song of the Day: I don't really have a specific song that reminds me of her, but I can dedicate one to her! So, here is Lee Ann Womack's song, I Hope You Dance! I think of her saying these words through her actions to all she comes in contact with. Enjoy!

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance
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Seventeen Again! Reliving Younger Years w/ Mini Me!

I have been SO lucky over the past few years with having the opportunity to get to know another version of myself. Haha! This girl has key differences from myself, but I see so much of my personality and passion in her. She has the dramatic side to her that I ADORE, and it makes things so much more fun... or funny. :) She has a ridiculous sense of humor and wit, and she is SUCH an intelligent girl. I am constantly impressed by her drive and ambition for life and all it has to offer... She is going to do amazing things! I am thankful for the times she came and hung out with the "old-bag" I am, keeping me young and laughing at life. She really has inspired me to reach for things in my life, and I'm sure she doesn't even know it.

I recall one night we went to the Twilight escapade at the mall in Murray, and had dinner before hand. She asked me a bunch of questions about the Book of Mormon and told me about her goals to read the entire thing and know her facts about religion... She told me of her doubts and her faith - where she was and where she wanted to be. She has no idea, but if for nothing else, that night inspired ME. I was changed after that discussion, and I became more driven in who I am within the gospel and as an individual. She has no idea the power that she has in influencing others for the better.
Today, I want to dedicate my thankfulness note to my "mini me," Lynzie Little!!!

Lynzie - you are amazing, exceptional... You have helped other grow in the comfort of their own skin and you don't even know it. People just LOVE you and are drawn to you - you make others happy just by being there around them. I'm not sure you realize how special you are... not yet. Perhaps you'll never realize it, and that's ok... because you'll continue to just "be you," and that will be enough to move mountains for others. I'm not exaggerating either, Lynzie. You are unique and special. I am so proud to see you constantly growing and being a good example to me and others. I know that I can always count on you for that, and I am grateful to you for this. Thank you. Today, I am thankful for YOU, Lynzie!
*muah*

Song of the Day: Haha... This is because of a long night in the car when we spent FOREVER trying to figure out the meaning to this song... I think I figured it out - The American Dream of a child and the older generations was cut down and the feel that the voice of the people has been suffocated and the dreams are dying with the innocence and generation. That is my interpretation. Haha! Here is Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine. Enjoy!

Family Time in Deutschland!

After coming back to Deutschland with my family, we spent the week at NUMEROUS Christmas markets, favorite spots of mine from the past year, and new-to-me cities here in Germany. We had a fabulous time seeing my old sights - Bonn, Bad Godesberg (where my dad saw his first real castle!), Konigswinter, Linz (my parents loved it as much as I did), and Koln. We also went to three new places, Aachen, Stazvey, and Bad Munsterheifel. Here are some good moments and pictures!

First, let's start with the DAY TIME here in Germany.... I'm going to dedicate a separate entry to the evening Christmas Markets.

We started off each morning (almost) with a trip to the bakery. There are LOTS of different ones here in Germany, but my favorite one (other than the random little one in Hauptbahnhof) is Kamps. YUM! They have this pastry called Stressentaler - AMAZING. They also have incredible cream rolls, cheese and ham pretzels, and pudding bread. It's all good! Haha...

Anyway, we headed down to see Bad Godesburg, which is pretty much a suburb of Bonn over by the boy's Kinderhaus. It's a place I go to do grocery shopping, get my hair cut, see a movie (the theater that plays movies in English is there), sometimes get my toiletries, or hit up a decent H&M - they're ALL over here, but I love having one SO close - AKA: Four U-bahn stops or a 12 minute bike ride away. H&M - Be still my heart.

We went around Bad Godesberg just to see the area, went inside a little church there, and then headed up the castle after getting Nico from school on Monday. It was the first time my dad had been to real castle, and though it's not the most exciting one, it is a castle. Thus, it is automatically cool. Haha!


Nico was so funny when we told him he was going to be our tour guide for the castle (since he has been there with virtually all the nannies and each year of Kindergarten - haha!). He said, "I'm smart, but I don't know everything!" We know, Nico. However, the kid DID explain to me what macrophages white blood cells were last night... I had no idea what he was talking about it. I looked it up on wikipedia (very scientific, I know) and he was mostly right. We have a very smart kid on our hands.

Sidenote: How many of you clicked the link right then? Really? Yea. That's what I thought.

The only thing related to evening that I will say here is that we DID make time in Bad Godesberg to see Harry Potter 7: Part I on Wednesday evening... I had seen it a week early (The 17th - that's right. It came out two days earlier here in Germany. Boo-yah!), but I was all game to see it again. In case anyone was wondering, the ending didn't change. It was still good. :)

Sidenote: I had a discussion with Kay about one particular scene in the movie and it has spawned my desire to blog about the film and my thoughts. After my family's trip, that is NEXT on my agenda. I have, what I believe to be, good insights regarding the film and direction they took certain things. That is, aside from Rupert Grint being a good-looking man. There - moving on for now...

The next day we took time to go up to Konigswinter for a bit, and then Linz - see the link for more info from the FIRST time I went there. It's a great little city, with old buildings and streets, and off the beaten path for most American tourists, which I love. I took Melissa there when she came to visit and she loved it. Also, it has a cool name. Really.


Wednesday I took my family and Nico up to Cologne (Koln) to see the Cathedral Dom and a little of the city - we ended up hanging out at a Christmas Market for the afternoon. Haha! We became kind of obsessed... I'm actually heading to a new city (Heidelberg) on Saturday and will hit up the Christmas Market there too. I'm completely excited to see the city and HUGE castle there, but Christmas Markets have become my favorite thing in the world. No, really.

One note about the Cathedral Dom in Cologne. It's an old Catholic cathedral, but the thing I find MOST interesting about it is that on the left side of the Dom, near the base, there is a hole on the exterior that lets you see into some "buried ruins" of the Cathedral - a room and area they use to use hundreds of years ago. There is a giant, raised "font" in the side of the room where they use to baptize individuals... by immersion. It's off the beaten-path, and none of the pamphlets or ushers tell you about it, but you can see it and read a little bit about it if you know where to go. I only knew because a friend showed me back in January on my first trip to Cologne. I took my family down there... It's very interesting to me and I wanna research more on this particular, no longer used baptistery.

Okay. Moving on...

Thursday was THANKSGIVING! I was so excited because I had set up with my family, Koko and Patrick, and two other LDS families from the states to have a big Thanksgiving Feast at the Miller's home that afternoon. We spent the morning cooking a small turkey, sweet potatoes (yams to some), and two pies before heading over. After about 40 minutes of being lost, and finally using the father of the house we were headed to as our GPS, we actually got there. Haha! It was NOT funny at the time, but it is what it is... no big deal. (Shout-out to Coreen, cause these are totally her photos - they turned out better than mine!

We had a GREAT Thanksgiving with friends and family around us, took a walk to a little palace nearby after dinner to gear up for pie, and then came back for the main course pie. I am thankful that my family could be here to celebrate the holiday with me, and that I'll be home to celebrate Christmas with them. I'm also grateful for such great families here in Bonn that love and care for me while I am so far from home... I'm a blessed girl. For real.

On Friday, the family geared up and headed to Aachen, a city right on the border of Holland, Belgium, and Germany. We spent the time in Aachen going into a really cool church and then walking the streets, through... Christmas Markets! Haha... We didn't MEAN to, but it just kinda happened and we went with it. I loved every moment of it... However, I was able to get some non-market shots of buildings as well... So, for now, that's what you are getting... Haha!



Bad Munsterheifel was the second city we sought out, and it ended up being my FAVORITE thing of the whole trip. We went back for dinner the next night - haha! It was this really cool, small, German town with the fortress wall still intact all the way around the exterior of the city. It was cool to see, and I enjoyed walking through the streets for a little bit there... However, it didn't last long because we were FREEZING!



Saturday, I took my family up to Dracenfals to see the castle and royal manor. When we were up on the top of the mountain, we could see all the land around us and it was COVERED in snow - completely beautiful! It was also freezing... but it was worth it all. It was SO gorgeous up there, and my family was really glad we went. In fact, I was pretty glad that we did all of the things we did while my family was here... It wasn't always the GRANDEST adventure, but it was always fabulous because we were together, and we're just too quirky not to have fun.

Oh, and how cute are my parents? Still so in love... but not awkwardly showing PDAs - just sayin'. They're amazing.
*muah*

P.S. Oh, and I found a little random hole in the wall to squeeze into and take a dumb picture inside of... perfect.


Song of the Day: I don't know HOW I came to own this song, but it was suddenly under my "Current Faves" list, and playing while I ride my bike. RANDOM. However, it's a little bit amazing, cause now I've found a new GREAT singer... Meredith Andrews, Can Anybody Hear Me? Enjoy!

On the Sixteenth Day of Thanksgiving, My Family Gave to Me...

On the sixteenth day of Thanksgiving, my family gave to me... Two brothers that are cooky just like me! Haha...

These next two people are my fabulous older brothers (and their families), who I love and adore. We haven't always been the closest, but I know that they care about me and would always be there for me. They are both people who walk to the beat of their own drum, and have taught me a lot about being comfortable doing the same. I am thankful for their examples of growth and overcoming challenges in their lives. They are intelligent. They are both good fathers, and I am thankful for their examples in that area as well.

Today, my thankfulness note goes to Micheal and Joshua Struiksma!

You are both amazing people with amazing families. Thank you so much for always being there for me and having my back. Thanks for all that you have taught me, and for letting me know you care. I know that I can always count on you. I am thankful for YOU, Mike and Josh!
*muah*

P.S. This also includes a thankfulness moment for Jessica and Kat! :)

Song of the Day: I know that I can always count on these guys, so... Here is Bill Withers with Lean On Me. Enjoy!