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just a girl living the expat life

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Archives for October 2012

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2012 filed under: holidays

{via}

J and I are lame. We didn’t carve any pumpkins this year. I know! Unacceptable. Somehow October completely got away from me. I have no idea where the month went. We did watch a scary movie Saturday night though, does that count for anything at all? We’re planning to walk/drive through the neighborhood tonight and enjoy some of the fancy Halloween decorations. Yeah, yeah, we’re an old couple, shut up.
Also, I have no idea what has gotten into me, but I have agreed to watch another semi-scary movie with J tonight. Didn’t I just confess the other day that scary movies don’t really agree with me? What we do for love is amazing, I tell you!
I got some emergency candy in case we get some trick-or-treaters, whichI doubt tough, and will probably be stuck eating the candy myself.

So, do you have any plans for today or have you done all the partying last weekend already?

Like every year, I need to mention that the (Catholic parts of) Germany  should be celebrating, too, because “the term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe’en, is shortened from All-hallows-eve, as it is the evening before “All Hallows’ Day” (also known as “All Saints’ Day”)” (Wikipedia) which we celebrate in Germany on November, 1. So,  it only makes sense that Halloween should be celebrated in Germany (and believe me, these days, Germany has undoubtedly adopted Halloween traditions like carving pumpkins and scary movies, as well as the opportunity to throw parties and get drunk!), especially considering that  the next day is a holiday  and people can nurse their hangovers. How very convenient.

It does put me in a little bit of a sad mood thinking about “All Saint’s Day”, as it is also traditionally a family day in my family and I know that most of my family will get together. They’ll visit the cemeteries and our deceased relatives and then they’ll go home and have “Kaffee and Kuchen” (coffee and cake) and spend time together. I wish I could be there.

Have a spooky  Halloween everyone!

 

9

The weekend + the World Series

October 30, 2012 filed under: sports, weekend

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How was your weekend, friends?
I got a lot of errands and cleaning done this weekend, I baked, I did laundry, we completely cleaned the apartment from floor to ceiling. It’s a nice feeling of accomplishment.

And of course, we watched the World Series over the last few days.

I don’t know about you, but when I dedicate my heart to a sports team, there is usually a runner-up that I cheer for when my favorite team doesn’t make the cut (in whatever competition). This year, my beloved (Boston) Red Sox just sucked (no other way to put it) and didn’t even make the play-offs. It’s always kinda hard when you witness your team go through a  transition, losing (aka trading) important players, firing coaches and changing the dynamic of a team. We’ve been through that before with the Sacramento Kings (NBA) which J and I  used to watch religiously a few years ago. These days, not so much.

But back to Baseball.

Naturally, after the Red Sox where out, J and I shifted our attention to the (SF) Giants. And what a team they have become in the last couple of years!

J, a Red Sox Fan since childhood, who played baseball for many years himself is thrilled about my love for the sport. He didn’t really believe it when I said that not only did I love baseball, but I myself played softball on a team in Germany for about 9 years before coming to the US (catcher and 3rd base). I mean, what were the odds, right? I love the sport with all my heart and I wish it was got more recognition in the world. I think it’s slowly changing, but it’s still got ways to go.

Sunday night, the SF Giants won the World Series in a landslide 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers and I couldn’t be happier. I am sad that there won’t be any more baseball for a while, but who knows, maybe I’ll get into watching the Kings play basketball again this winter. After all, they’re going to stay in Sacramento for another season.

Do watch any sports? What’s your favorite team?

5

2012 in pictures: week 43

October 28, 2012 filed under: a year in pictures

2012 in pictures: week 43

teriyaki chicken and zucchini pancakes // tea // my planner //
like my hoodie? // Greta’s birthday cake // zucchini-turkey burger //
apple pancakes // sunny // scrabble //

5

She’s FOUR!

October 26, 2012 filed under: family, love

Greta4

My niece Greta turned 4 years old last weekend (October, 21) and it’s hard to believe that four whole years have passed by since my sister became a Mom. I remember the day when she delivered Greta like it was yesterday.
But in place of the tiny little baby is a beautiful, sassy and smart 4-year old now and I miss her every day a little more. Today she’s been celebrating her birthday with her friends.

She’s a big girl now!

5

Things I Love Thursday

October 25, 2012 filed under: lists!, love, TILT

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I’m loving…

… the beginning of fall. Cooler temperatures. Rain. Colorful leaves. All of it.

… documentaries. J and I have been watching more documentaries lately (about all kinds of different topics) and I enjoy them so much. There is so much to learn!

… new recipes! I’ve been trying a whole lot of new recipes lately and it’s so much fun to mix up our meal planning a bit. We were kind of rotating the same old recipes over and over and it’s nice to step out of the routine that we were stuck in and try something completely new! I’ve been cooking things that I had never touch before (like quinoa and ground turkey!) and it’s amazing what I’ve been missing out on.

… a little bit of mindless TV. I’ve been watching (with awe) “Breaking Amish” on TLC. While I learned in the meantime that much of it is totally staged (who’s really surprised?), it’s highly entertaining. Are you watching?

…  that I started my Christmas list – both my own wish list, as well as a list with gift ideas for other people! Hooray!

… thoughtful friends.

… the little collab blog that I am running with some really awesome ladies and which has been live for about 6 weeks now. So happy to be part of it!

… that it’s time to get my crochet stuff out again.

… my new (programmable!) bathroom space heater. Our apartment has central heat, but no vent in the bathroom. I mean, seriously, who designed this place? My new space heater, however, will make the getting up in the winter that much more bearable, because for me there is nothing worse than a cold bathroom in the morning!

… more time to read again. I’ve missed that.

… two months until Christmas! Woot!

 

What are you loving right now?

10

J’s birthday weekend

October 23, 2012 filed under: birthday, weekend

For J’s 30th birthday – which was last Thursday – I had planned a fun weekend away. J had no idea where we were going – I just put him in the car on Saturday morning and off we went. First, we headed to the coast where I had planned to have dinner at Tomales Bay. “Nick’s Cove” is a place we’ve been to together many times and it’s always special to have dinner sitting at the window overlooking the bay.

Nick's Cove

Tomales Bay

Tomales Bay

Nick's Cove

Nick's Cove

Nicks' Cove

Tuna Melt

I had a delicious tuna melt open-faced sandwich and J had clam chowder and crab mac & cheese. So, so good!
It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit windy. Don’t mind my crazy hair!

Tomales Bay

Nick's Cove

After our (early) dinner, we headed back inland to our hotel in Santa Rosa. I almost hadn’t found a place to stay for my big birthday surprise, because Wine Country is pretty popular around this time of year. However, the “Sandman Inn” had an affordable room available and I can definitely recommend it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a non-chain type of place and it’s definitely not the most fanciest of places, but it most certainly is a big step up from a Motel 6. So, there.

At 7 p.m. we got some coffee at a local Peet’s and then headed to Sonoma State University (in Rohnert Park) to see Bill Maher! Weeeeee!

Bill Maher @ Sonoma State

J hadn’t had any idea about this until I presented the tickets to him at dinner. I had bought the tickets way back in May when they first became available and we had seats in the second row from the stage. So awesome!

Bill Maher @ Sonoma State

Unfortunately, it was not allowed to take any pictures during the performance, but rest assured that it was totally hilarious and absolutely worth it! J loved it and the surprise was a great success!

Are you a fan of birthday surprises? What did you do last weekend?

 

9

2012 in pictures: week 42

October 21, 2012 filed under: a year in pictures

2012 in pictures: week 42

Tower bridge // sunset // roasted vegetables //
bakery // coffee and apple scone // Tomales Bay //
Nick’s Cove // Bill Maher // Greta ♥ //

4

Eight things I’m okay with not liking

October 18, 2012 filed under: about me, lists!

1. Beer. I know, I know. I come from the land of good beer and how can I not like it, but I just don’t. I don’t like the taste and I don’t see the point of advice that I’ve repeatedly gotten from people: just keep drinking it, you’ll eventually like it. WHY WOULD I DO THAT?

2. Liver. I am not a picky eater at all and I will (almost) try anything, but liver I cannot stomach. Actually, I can’t even swallow… it makes me gag. Liverwurst on the other hand = love!

3. Hot feet. While I am not a fan of cold feet either, I hate when it’s so hot in the summer that my feet get all hot and puffy. Worst feeling ever. I have to take a cold foot-bath before I go to bed sometimes, because it bothers me so much.

4. Clubs. I’ve never been a club person. I had my fair share of danced-through-nights in my twenties, but I never liked clubs. And I was definitely not someone who would go out every Friday and Saturday.

5. Horror movies. I know, it’s that time of year and most people are eagerly awaiting Halloween, but I do not get anything out of scary movies. In fact, I really don’t enjoy them or want to sit through them (much to J’s dismay).

6. YA Dystopian novels. I am sorry but I am not sorry that I won’t jump on that bandwagon. You might say that I haven’t read enough books to really have an opinion about it, but the 2 or 3 books that I have read (or heard about) did not convince me that this is anything that I would enjoy anytime soon. Time is too precious.

7. Dubbed movies. Holy hell. Is there anything more annoying than dubbed movies? You might find subtitles just as bad, but I prefer subtitles over dubbed movies any day. You see, in Germany most movies are dubbed and the thing is: often NOT VERY WELL. I know why they do it (people are lazy and not fluent enough in English or other languages), but good god, it’s so bad. Voices often are completely ‘off’ from the original voices of the actors (why do they do that? Why don’t they try to find voice-overs with similar voices?) and translations are so, so bad. I don’t think I can ever watch a dubbed movie (or TV series) ever again.

8. Lipstick. I can get on board with lipgloss, but lipstick? I don’t know how to pull that off.

{inspired by posts from Terra and Erin}

20

An “almost-fall” weekend

October 15, 2012 filed under: food, photography, weekend

After a somewhat cool and overcast Thursday, I was hoping for fall to be here, but then the temperatures crept up to the mid 80’s again over the weekend and the feeling of fall arriving disappeared as quickly as it had come. Oh well. There are only 10 weeks left until Christmas. Plenty of time for fall to make an appearance. Ha!

I am not sure right now if I should embrace the sandals and shorts wearing a little longer or if I should get whiny about not being able to get out my boots and scarves. It’s the middle of October after all and I think I am a bit confused.

The weekend, however, was lovely. J’s Mom was still visiting and after a nice walk through the neighborhood on Friday afternoon, we decided to treat ourselves to some tea and pie at “Rick’s Dessert Diner“. I had cherry pie! Yum!

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Saturday I went thrift shopping with my MIL and found some real bargains. My pride and joy are those beautiful and unique (open-toed) Mary Janes with a butterfly application. So freaking cute!

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I was really lucky, too, because usually I wouldn’t even have tried these shoes. I am usually an 8.5 and those were a 7.5, but I fell instantly in love and thought to myself “I need to make my feet fit into these”. And they did! Magically! I don’t know how, but I guess sometimes it’s good that the US sizes are not always standardized!

Saturday night we went to Davis and ate at the “Little Prague” restaurant, which was serving Octoberfest specialities. I had Szegediner Goulash (it’s pork goulash with sauerkraut) and Czech (bread) dumplings. J had a Schnitzel and J’s Mom had pork shank.

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Sunday was warm and sunny and we went to Old Town to walk along the river.

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Other good things this weekend:

lovely mail from a dear friend ♥ trying new recipes ♥ iced chai latte ♥ scrabble night ♥ skyping with my parents ♥ watching documentaries ♥ sleeping in ♥ a movie night ♥ walking ♥ the new REAL Simple ♥

How was your weekend? Did you do something fun?

6

2012 in pictures: week 41

October 14, 2012 filed under: a year in pictures

2012 in pictures: week 41

pork cutlets // hello // beach //
cooling off // cherry pie // leaves //
flowers // Segediner Goulash // thrifting //

4

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Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

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