theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for October 2019

Monthly recap | October

filed under: my so-called life, recap


READ 

October was busy and reading was slow. I finished one book. 

COOKED

I tried a new ravioli dish that we liked okay but isn’t necessarily worth sharing. However, I did bake a nice apple pie for Jon’s birthday that we both loved. It was delicious and I’ll have to share the recipe in a future post.

WATCHED

We watched the season finales of ‘Before the 90-days’ and ‘90-days – The Other Way’ because it’s just the brainless TV I need at the end of a long day.

I also watched a couple of German movies when I was in Germany and a dubbed (*shudder*) version of ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ (the things you’ll do for your niece and nephew! Haha.)

LISTENED TO 

As always, not much new. I listened to a few episodes of  Pod Save America. 

BOUGHT

Of course, we brought back some food items from Germany. I also purchased a couple of birthday gifts for Jon, a TubShroom, more NUUN, and some new Jockey shirts for Jon. I also ordered pair of ankle boots for me online that haven’t arrived yet. I rarely buy shoes online (unless I have previously tried them on somewhere), so I hope these will fit and are somewhat close to what I am expecting IRL.

RAN

I ran 25 miles and cycled 48 miles this month. I had good intentions when I was in Germany to go for a run or two, but we got a lot of rain and to be honest, I had other priorities while I was there. That’s how it goes.

GOING-ONS

+ As you already know, we spent the first half of the month in Germany, surprising my parents for their birthday party! It was the best decision and I still relish every minute that we had with my family.

+ We went to dinner at my favorite pizza place back home and I had the best (I am not exaggerating!) tomato soup and my favorite pizza with tuna. Yum. I also got to eat some Italian yogurt gelato (which is totally different from frozen yogurt) while I was in Germany. 

+ Shortly after our return, we celebrated Jon’s 37 birthday. I baked a birthday (apple) cake and we had a nice and lazy day (as per the birthday boy’s wishes). 

+ I went for my first mammogram ever this month. I guess, I am at that age now. It wasn’t as horrible or painful for me as some women make it out to be. Just one extra preventive care measure that I am happily picking up.

+ I had my performance review at work, my first annual review with my new supervisor. It went very well overall. I am still frustrated with my work situation right now (I don’t have enough work to fill my time), but I am hoping that will change again soon.   

+ I am back to my gym routine. It’s hard to get back into, but it’s always worth it (and necessary, I might add).

+ We’ve been enjoying the first glimpses of fall. Cool nights and mornings, sunny blue skies during the day. We haven’t been impacted by smoke/bad air quality from the fires so far, which – I am crossing my fingers – will hopefully stay this way.

+ My niece turned 11. I still remember when she was a toddler, forming the first hilarious words and sentences, and here she is, sassy and so grown up, and almost on the cusp of puberty. Can someone slow down time, please? 

+ It was my 9-year Instagram-iversary. I can’t believe I’ve been using this platform for almost a decade. When did you post your first Instagram picture? Go look and tell me what it was! (Mine was coffee.)

How was your October?

Monthly Favorites | October

filed under: monthly favorites

1. I picked up a tube of Weleda Light Skin Food* Moisturizer when I was in Germany. I had long wanted to try their stuff, as Weleda is a European Clean Beauty brand with a long-standing reputation. And I am happy to say, I really like this moisturizer. It’s soft, not too thick (there is a thicker version), absorbs quickly, and I love the citrusy smell.

2. I received an email this month saying that I was going to get a $5 start deposit if I downloaded Peet’s Peetniks Rewards App* and because I am always down for free coffee, I happily obliged. 

3. Do you like Cremini Mushrooms*  as much as I do? I could eat mushrooms with every meal, if I had to. Not surprisingly, we go through a lot of mushrooms at our house.

4. My best friend gave me these cute string lights (similar to those*) when I was in Germany and they’re my favorite thing to brighten up our living room in the evening now. 

5. I bought this Long Cardigan* before our flight to Germany, because I knew it was going to be cooler there. It’s super-cozy and it was comfortable for the plane and I am looking forward to wearing it more often this fall.

6. I picked up a couple of bags of Hustelinchen* when I was in Germany. It’s a licorice-based cough drop (which you can really have anytime, not just when you’re having a cough!). What’s not to like? 

7. I can’t wait for soup weather. This Trader Joe’s Tomato and Red Pepper Soup* is a staple in my pantry during the cooler months of the year. Add a hard-boiled egg and/or some croutons and you have a meal.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

Currently | October

filed under: currently

October disappeared on me. Anyone else? I am sure it had to do with the fact that we traveled for the first half of the month, but man, how is it already Halloween-week? 


LOVING | that I was able to spend some precious time with my parents, my sister, and the munchkins. It feels like it’s never enough, but I take what I can get. 

LISTENING TO | the wind outside my window.

THINKING ABOUT | the holiday season that lies ahead and how it’s going to be a busy, but also my favorite time of the year.

EMBRACING | fall with its cooler temperatures, longer evenings, and colorful leaves.

GETTING BACK | to making overnight oats and then warming them up in the morning for an easy, but tasty, warm breakfast.


TRYING TO | get back into my running routine. I feel like I’ve said that a lot lately, but it’s mostly because I took some “unintentional” breaks in the last few months. I mean, I still ran, but I wasn’t following a plan or working toward a goal and that always makes me feel like I am not in my routine, if that makes sense.

EATING | homemade apple pie (including homemade whipped cream – screw that bottled stuff). This was so easy and quick to make. Will have to share this recipe soon!

DRINKING | peppermint tea.

ENJOYING |  all the candles and lights around our apartment in the evenings now. They always make the darker season a little bit brighter.

LOOKING FORWARD TO | going to a play at the local theater. We haven’t done this in forever. 


CELEBRATING | a bunch of October birthdays, including my Mom’s (on the 3rd) , Jon’s  (on the 18th), and Greta’s (on the 21st). 

WEARING | skinny jeans –  all day, every day.

HOPING | for the winds to die down and the fires to be put out here in California. Last year was devastating and it’s been a tough fire season again this year. While we haven’t been impacted by planned power outages and/or threatened by the fires directly, it’s always a scary time living in California when wildfires are raging all over the state. 

FEELING | overwhelmed by the fact that there are only 2 months left in this decade. Let that sink in, friends. 

EXCITED ABOUT | NaBloPoMo. Yes, it’s that time of the year again, where I blog my way through November. Are you joining in?

What’s going on with you currently?

October Link Love

filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

It’s not really that hard, or is it? How to eat right.

Should you sleep or exercise? Have you ever had to decide between the two?

10 things incredibly likeable people never, ever do.

 Handy! Instagram Food Hacks.

Here’s What Happened When I Complimented Everyone I Met for an Entire Day. Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but being a little kinder every day goes a long way! 

How Non-English Speakers Are Taught This Crazy English Grammar Rule You Know But Never Heard Of. This is super-fascinating to me. If you learn your native language as a child, many grammar rules are subconscious and you can’t explain them. Jon has asked me many times about German grammar rules that I wasn’t consciously aware of and that we then had to examine together to come up with a rule. Fascinating! 

Around the blogosphere

Recycling. An important post by my friend Tanja.

A good question to contemplate: Would you rather be good at earning or good at saving?

How to make an animated gif for Instagram.

Bravo, Stephanie, for sharing your story! Why I started taking medication for my anxiety.

Lifestyle Creep… Isn’t That Kind of the Point?

Craftiness/DIY

What a cool idea! DIY photo strip costume

Halloween Coloring Page 

Printable Gratitude Stationery

For my runner friends

Mobility vs Flexibility: What’s the difference?

When should you quit a run? Important advice. 

Deliciousness

Creamy Cauliflower Leek Soup. Give me all the soups this fall!

Yum. Chicken with Garlic Mushroom Sauce.

Share a good link with me in the comments!

How to pull off a birthday surprise

filed under: birthday, family, Germany, travel

 


Remember when I said that I was keeping a secret?

You probably didn’t notice that it was quiet around here for the last couple of weeks. I had prepared a couple of posts to automatically post during my absence (I am not always that prepared, mind you), so you couldn’t know that Jon and I were actually spending time in a different time zone. 

On October 1, J and I got on a plane to Germany to surprise my parents for their 70th birthdays. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that it was a possibility. I had just been in Germany in May. My parents’ birthdays are 2,5 weeks apart and there was no way I could get time off long enough to be there for both their birthdays. But when my Mom called at the end of August, saying that they had changed their minds about not having a party and were planning one for October 3rd (her actual birthday and a German public holiday), the wheels in my head started turning.

70 is a milestone birthday. My parents are not getting any younger (although I’d like to think of them as perpetually young-ish). I remembered that I was in Germany for their 60th birthdays. How could I miss this big event in my parents’ life and not go? So, I decided that we would go. Just like that.

Well, not really ‘just like that’. I talked with Jon (he was instantly on board!), I talked with my supervisor at work (to request time off), I checked flight prices, and then we just went ahead and booked tickets. 

When I told my sister that we were planning on coming, she was beyond thrilled, as she hadn’t really thought that this would be a possibility either. My parents, of course,  had no clue that we had booked tickets. In fact, nobody knew anything besides my sister. We were so paranoid that someone would slip up and ruin the surprise.
Believe me, it was hard enough to keep the secret for about 4 weeks myself, as I talk to my parents a few times every week. I made sure to complain plenty about the fact how much we hated that we weren’t going to be there for the party, that we would miss out on the amazing food, and how much it sucked sometimes to live so far away. At the same time, I hoped that I wasn’t coming off too strong and making them suspicious.

Finally, the day of our departure was here and as far as we could tell, the secret was still safe. We arrived in Germany on October 2, my sister had arranged for someone to pick us up from the airport and take us to her house, and then we surprised my parents in the evening before the party.

We had first thought about just “showing up” at the party the next day, but a) I didn’t want to give my parents a heart attack on the day of their party and b) we didn’t want to take away the focus from their birthday celebrations, as it was their day, not ours. (I mean, plenty of people still were surprised to see us, but at least my parents weren’t completely emotionally overwhelmed and could focus on their other guests instead of just us.)

My sister drove us and the kids over to my parents’ house in the evening, but dropped us off at the street corner so that she could see them alone first (pretending that she was bringing over some last minute things for the party). We had taken a picture with the kids in her backyard earlier in the afternoon, which she was going to show them. Since J hadn’t been in Germany with me for a while, they’d hopefully notice instantly that the picture was very current.

Meanwhile, we and the kids had walked up to the front door of my parents’ house and were waiting for them to realize what was going on.

Of course, I wish I could have actually seen my parents’ faces when they caught on to what was happening. My sister tried to capture the moment while trying not to seem suspicious when she started filming them. Haha.

Finally, the door opened and they came outside. My Mom was crying and I could tell that even my Dad, even though he doesn’t get emotional quickly, was moved to see us. I’d like to think: the surprise was a definite success and it felt amazing that we had been able to pull this off!


When I asked my parents if they had suspected something… anything… they said no. Of course, they had hoped and wished that we could be there with them for their birthdays, but both of them didn’t think that it was a possibility because of my limited amount of vacation time (comparatively speaking), the fact that I had just visited for three weeks in the spring, and the fact that flying in from California is not a simple train ride into town.

I am just so, so glad we went. I cannot explain how much it means to me to know that we were able to spend this time with them. I’ll tell you all about the actual birthday party (Octoberfest-themed!) and the rest of our stay (we stayed for 11 days) in another post, but just wanted to let you in on my little secret.