What Have Amy and Craig Been Up To?

I am going to start (trying) to make more of an effort to blog. This summer I have really become addicted to crafting blogs. I have realized that a big trip shouldn't be the only reason I write. A blog is a great way to keep an online journal; something Craig and I can look back on and remember and reflect all of the good times we had. I have enjoyed going back and reading my first blog posts, so I can only imagine what it will be like when I read this 5 - 10 -20 years from now!

This summer we weren't able to do some of the trips we had originally planned/hoped for due to certain circumstances. But hey, that's life!

Even though we've taken a small break from travelling, we have still been busy. Here's a small glimpse at what we have been up to:

• Craig worked all summer except for a two week holiday.
• We (Craig and Amy) took a combined total of 15 hours of Master's level classes.
• We moved apartments.
• We took care of a lot of "business" in relation to our move, filing German taxes, getting new work visas, etc.

But, all of that sounds really boring and really awful, so here's what we've really spent most of our time doing:

I spent the summer pretending like I was on Project Runway.

While Craig spent the summer pretending like he was on The Next Food Network Star --- I'm a pretty tough judge :)

We checked out a variety show... which was full of variety.

We took a lot of walks in a new (to us) park. Now that we have moved apartments we are closer to this park.

It's perfect for running around.

I taught Bella how to fly.. just something I did in my free time :)

Other than flying, Bella spent a lot of time thinking. Don't be fooled by her good looks, Bella Maria is a thinker.

Mika spent a lot of time running and swimming (when it wasn't too cold). It's been in the 60s here lately!

Craig enjoyed exploring the new trails.

But, who are we kidding? At our apartment this summer, there was a lot of this going on....

And this....

And most certainly a whole lot of this....

(I love Bella in this picture).

So, even though we took a break from touring Europe this summer, we have certainly had a nice time taking it easy and enjoying the little things in life.

My uncle will be visiting Leipzig in a week and I am certainly excited to show him the sites of Leipzig and Dresden. We might even check out some places I have yet to visit.

I certainly can't believe Craig starts back to work tomorrow and I start back in a little less than 2 weeks! We aren't ready to be back at work, but we are excited for all the good things that will be coming this Fall.

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Our American Day

Craig and I certainly love our life in Germany. We are extremely thankful for the opportunity we have to travel. However, this summer we have been a bit homesick. Since we can't just hop over to the US we decided to hop over to Berlin for a few US specialties.

We found a great deal where we could buy one train ticket and the other ticket was free from Leipzig to Berlin. We were actually really nervous about this because we booked the ticket in German (something we feel comfortable doing). However, we kept finding that we only had to buy one ticket and the other person just "tagged" along. We were crossing our fingers that we had translated the German correctly when the ticket lady came around. When she said everything was good, we let out a sigh of relief and did a small party dance for our little victory with the German language.

Check out some pictures from our day:

Craig at Hard Rock Cafe Berlin

Craig is not too happy that I kept telling him we needed to take pictures before eating.

Just look at that plate of food, it's probably a good thing we don't have a Hard Rock in Leipzig.

Amy posing in front of the Hard Rock Cafe Berlin sign. The food was just too good.

Craig with our Harry Potter tickets. This was actually my first Harry Potter movie and I have to say I loved it.

"Hey, why are all these people standing around taking pictures?"

"I don't know, let's stand around and take pictures, too."

"Ok."

Overall, we had a wonderful day with good food and great entertainment. We still miss our families and not even an American Day in Berlin can cure that. However, we are excited to be visiting the US in October where our stomachs and our hearts will be filled.

--Amy

World Cup Canoe Slalom 2011-- Markkleeberger See

On Sunday Craig and I went and watched the 2011 Canoe Slalom World Cup at Markkleeberg See.

At the lake there is a white water simulation set up.

It wouldn't be an event without bratwursts and steak sandwiches.

We checked out the end of the course first.


Here she comes; fighting the rapids.

Almost finished!


We then made our way to the starting point.
I wanted a pink kayak.

Taking a break at the lake on the walk back.

It was a long, hot walk back to the tram.

Our German Kitchen -- American Style

Craig and I (well, mainly I as Craig is working) will be spending this summer making our new apartment a home. The first step was getting a kitchen!

In Germany, apartments come unfurnished. This does not only mean they don't come with furniture, but they come with nothing, nada, zippo (you get the picture.) As the renter you are responsible for installing your own light fixtures (still on the to do list) and in some apartments you need to install your own kitchen.

We were very lucky in our last apartment to be able to rent a kitchen. However, that wasn't an option for this apartment. Since we will be in Leipzig for the next few years, we decided to invest in a kitchen. There are just certain things this American couple NEEDS and we were willing to put down the big Euros to get it. Even though our kitchen is itty-bitty, we made the space work.

Craig and I picked out everything, all the way down to the handles (a good relationship-building exercise!) and I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Here are some pictures:

Finally -- a bigger refrigerator and a freezer. Now we can have ice cubes, and ice cream, and frozen dinners....oh the possibilities are endless

Pull out drawers on the bottom-- these keep pots and pans from tumbling out on us every time we open the cabinet doors.

Just look at that counter top -- beautiful. Plus, we opted for the bigger oven. How are we supposed to make our Thanksgiving Dinner turkey without a big oven!?!

Sink with a dishwasher.

Thanks for checking out our new kitchen! We are eager to start hosting dinner parties.

:) Amy