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19: Our duplex (one year later)

November 19, 2019 filed under: home, NaBloPoMo

Remember when I announced last year that we had sold our house ? I also told you that I’d share more about our new place once I had wrapped my head around the move, but then I never did. So, I hope late is better than never.

One year ago today, we moved from our two-bedroom house to a one-bedroom duplex. Yes, we lost some space and an extra bedroom, but there were some more important things on our priority list: location (we’re in a nice neighborhood, much closer to my work now), central heat and air (you can’t survive the Sacramento summers without central air), a private patio or backyard (we got so used to having our own outdoor space!), an off-street parking spot (even better a garage with a driveway), and a washer and dryer (I really didn’t want to go back to using the laundromat).

The duplex has what I would call 1.5 stories. The bedroom and bathroom are on the second floor above the garage, the rest of the rooms is downstairs, so it’s not a true 2-story building, but I like that it feels a little different from a one-story apartment. We were lucky enough that we found something affordable that had most of our must-haves before the close of Escrow. Our timeline for the house sale was very short (just four weeks) and we had to find something quickly.

Without further ado, a little duplex tour just for you. (This rhymes and what rhymes is good – who recognizes this quote?).

Our front porch + front yard

I love that we have a gate and that the front entrance is set back from the street a bit.

Our living room

The living room can be a little dark at times, but I love the big corner window by the front door. During the summer month, we can keep the front door open quite a bit, because of the gated front yard area and get some extra light.

Our bedroom

I love sleeping on the second floor and having a window to the street. The bedroom has a nice-size closet as well. The cool thing about older apartments/houses is that there is often a lot of built-in storage space, like this big closet (+ drawers) in the hall way.

Our kitchen

I traded my beautiful kitchen for a small, older kitchen with much less counter and storage space (sad face) and old, squeaky cabinets, but I am not trying to think about that too much. Jon will tell you that I regularly throw in a “I miss my kitchen” for good measure, but I am mostly really okay with it. The apartment otherwise almost ticked all the boxes on our list. And as a wise friend said to me: a kitchen is just a kitchen.

(No it’s not!! Haha.)

Our backyard

Our backyard is relatively small, but it has enough space for our patio set and I have really enjoyed sitting out there this summer. Most apartments don’t have a patio space at all or, if they do, you have share it with other tenants. I feel very lucky that we found a place where we have a private outdoor space all to ourselves, where we can barbecue and have people over.

That’s it. This is our not-so-new home. As we say in German, “klein, aber fein” (small, but nice) – another rhyme :)

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

6: My parents’ Oktoberfest-themed birthday bash

November 6, 2019 filed under: birthday, family, Germany, home, NaBloPoMo

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

My family

Contrary to popular belief, Germans do not run around in Dirndls and Lederhosen on a daily basis, not even in Bavaria. So this is not a picture of how we usually dress. However, as it has become popular in other countries, September and October are the months of Oktoberfest-themed parties everywhere.

So my parents got with the program and organized their birthday party Oktoberfest-style. I mean, the food alone is reason enough, but my parents also asked guests to dress up in Bavarian-style clothing.

I personally don’t own a Dirndl, but I got lucky as my sister had bought a new one and said that I would probably fit into her old one. (True. It’s nice to be able to share a closet with your sister.) I was also surprised to see how many of the guest also follow suit and showed up in Dirndls and Lederhosen.

The party was on October 3, which is a public holiday in Germany, so we started the celebrations at 11 in the morning. As you do.

We were super-lucky with the weather, as it rained most days when we were in Germany. My parents had set up a pop-up canopy tent in the backyard, hoping we could make use of the extra space and luckily, it was mostly dry and sunny on the day of the party.

My parents didn’t want any gifts, as they’re planning to come visit us here in California again next year with my sister, BIL, and the kids. But nevertheless, my sister and I organized a little “presentation” that included a few games and gifts pertaining to the US-trip that they’re planning for next summer. (Honestly, I cannot wait to have them back here in California.)

The whole day was a lot of fun, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Brothers

Sisters

Friends

We were about 35 people and the whole day was full of good food, conversation, love and laughter. We had a blast and Jon and I were so happy we could be part of it.

Recap | My nephew’s first communion

July 15, 2019 filed under: family, home, recap

Just a heads up, this post will be photo-heavy.

Just like I did two years ago for my niece’s communion, I planned my visit back home this year, so that I could attend my nephew’s first communion. It’s one of these once-in-a-lifetime events for which I had to try and be there. I miss out on too many events as it is.

We had an amazing day that started at 9 a.m. and went late into the night. Germans know how to party, is all I am saying. If there is something big to celebrate, we make it an all-day event.

First thing in the morning, we headed over to the local church for the church service. When Greta had her first communion two years ago, multiple congregations had to share one pastor and the service was held in one of the bigger churches in the city. It was crowded and we couldn’t really see or follow what was going on at the altar.

Luckily for Tom’s communion, the service was held at a much smaller, neighborhood-church which meant that less first communion goers and less people overall were in attendance, which in turn made for a much more pleasant ceremony.

After the service, our family (and friends) gathered in front of the church for some pictures and then we headed over to my sister’s place for a reception.

My aunt, my uncle, and cousin.

My aunt and cousin.

My cousin and his girlfriend.

My aunt and uncle.

My Mom and I.

My cousin, my sister, and my cousin’s girlfriend.

Lunch was catered from our favorite Italian restaurant in town, Alla Scala.

… but my sister made the beef bouillon herself. Including bone marrow dumplings and custard royale (I had to google that and hope it’s the right translation). She used my great-aunt’s recipe and so it felt like she was there somehow.

Lunch seamlessly morphed into afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). The cakes were homemade by different people and one was more delicious than the next. I almost tried them all.

We were super-lucky with the weather, as it had been raining a lot during my visit, but the day of the communion was dry and the sun came out a few times! All the kids were able to play in the backyard for most of the day and as you can see from the pictures, we had to squint quite a bit.

Father and son.

Just as for Greta’s communion, the dinner buffet was prepared mostly by my parents: a variety of pickled antipasti, salads, pickled salmon, turkey and pork, bread and herb butter. Delicious!

My sister’s beautiful family.

#proudaunt

My parents and my nephew.

Tom and his two godfathers.

Germans know how to party and we preferably use any occasion to make a whole day out of it. The celebration went late into the night.

Haha. Not sure what’s going on here.

Sisters. ♥

It was a wonderful day and I am so grateful that I was able to be there and spend precious time with most of my extended family.

26: A little life update

November 26, 2018 filed under: daily life, home, NaBloPoMo, news

A week ago, J and I moved. We are no longer homeowners.

I know, this announcement just came out of left field for you guys. In all honesty, I didn’t feel like discussing it and I also didn’t want to “blog through the process”. I had mixed feelings about the decision and I just didn’t feel like sharing the whys and hows while going through it. Because you know, people have opinions. So many opinions. I just didn’t want to deal with it.

Fact is, almost 3 years to the day when we closed Escrow to buy the house, we signed the documents to release it ~~back to the world~~ to a new owner.

Am I sad? Yes. Make no mistake, I loved our house (and THAT KITCHEN!), and there was still so much I wanted to do with this place. I guess that is the plight of homeownership. You’re never finished, and now we won’t ever be.

Do I feel good about the decision? Also yes. We’ve gone months and months hemming and hawing (mostly me) and weighing the pros and cons and our options, but in the end, this seemed to be the best decision for us.

Are we moving out of town? Am I switching jobs? No and no. Everything stays the same for now. Living in that house was a wonderful and exciting experience in some ways, but in other ways, it was also harder than we thought. Owning a home is a huge responsibility – emotionally and financially – and we just felt that it wasn’t quite right for us (at this time at least).

We’re now busy settling into a duplex in a great neighborhood, closer to my work. It’s been a blessing to find the place and I’ll share more about it when I had the mental capacity to process everything that has been going on the last few weeks. The home (buying and) selling process is so incredibly fast in this country that you barely have time to wrap your head around what’s happening.

I just thought it was time to let you all know, with the holidays approaching and all.

Our Christmas

January 3, 2018 filed under: holidays, home

I know, I know, here we are in 2018 already and I am talking about Christmas. Who wants to talk about a Christmas that is over a week old now?

Well, I do. Because I have written a Christmas recap every year for years and if nothing else, this will be a post just for me to remind me of our Christmas 2017. Feel free to skip this entry.

To be honest: our Christmas was not what I thought it would be.

I was looking forward to a long holiday weekend, I had planned to watch a ton of holiday movies, to set our table, to cook a delicious three-course meal on Christmas Eve and then spent Christmas Day at our friend Susi’s house with her and her family.

But then I caught a bad cold (or it probably was the flu, come to think of it) the week before Christmas and was bedridden for most of the holiday weekend. I never get sick! At least, not like that. Not quite what I had in mind for the holidays. I might or might not have moped around quite a bit because if we weren’t traveling to spend Christmas with family, I had hoped to at least enjoy the heck out of the holiday weekend.

I wanted to go for runs, read, eat good food and focus on the positive things of being “home” for the holidays. Instead, I pretty much slept for four days straight and then it took me another 4 days to feel like an actual human being again.

J caught whatever I had from me a couple of days later and so we were both not in the best constitution over the holidays, but were still trying to make the best of it.

I ended up cooking a one-pan spätzle dish for Christmas Eve (and we had leftovers for Christmas Day), which basically was the only physical activity I could muster and which cost me all my non-existent energy, but it was delicious and the first time we actually had – and could taste – real food in days! By then, I knew we were slowly on the upswing.

I did get to open a few boxes that were sent from friends and I really enjoyed all the Christmas cards that we received in the mail this year. Honestly, Christmas mail is my favorite thing!

(Quite a few cards arrived after the holidays, so if you don’t see your card in this picture, it doesn’t mean I didn’t get it!)

Silver lining of being sick over the holidays: I lost 3 lbs instead of gaining any. (Not that I was trying to lose weight or was worried of gaining some. Just stating a fact here.)

I hope your holiday weekend was more exciting than ours and that you were able to unplug (from social media) and connect with family and friends. Thanks for being – in one way or another – part of our holidays. I always appreciate how many people think of us every year!

My time back home

June 19, 2017 filed under: family, Germany, home, travel

I am finally getting around to do a little recap of my Germany visit. My trip home was short and sweet. I mainly went to be there for my niece’s first communion and I am not that mad that it was a pretty short trip overall. Ideally, I go home for a visit when my sister and the kids are on school break to maximize our time together, but unfortunately, the communion didn’t overlap with a school break.

My sister had to work and the kids had school, so we had to steal away all possible hours during the week to spend as much time together as possible. As you recall, I had a bucket list for my trip and I was able to check pretty much everything off my list…

… spending time with my niece and nephew

I tried to spend as much time with them as possible in the short time I was there and it was wonderful. I always miss my two munchkins and they just grow up so fast. Someone — anyone! — slow down time.

… spending 24 hours near Munich with my best friend

I already told you about that here. I am so glad I got to visit her and see her new home. We had the best time.

… my niece’s first communion.

I blogged about that day earlier last week. I don’t get to be home for a lot of family celebrations. I have missed many birthdays, a few Christmases and other joyful occasions, but I am extra thankful that I was able to be there for the communion.

… sleeping in my childhood room

I love coming home to my parents’ house and sleeping in my childhood bedroom. It’s almost a little bit of time travel right there. Love the view from my second-floor window.

… going for a run with my cousin

Yes! We only went out together once, but it was awesome to run with my cousin Basti. He’s pretty fit and it was great to have someone “push” me along for our 15 km run.

… working out with my Dad

I also got to go to the gym with my Dad. I took him to my gym here when he and my Mom visited last fall and I wanted to go work out with him at his gym when I went back home. I wish I could work out with my Dad more often. He’s the reason why I love sports.

… having a sleepover at my sister’s house

I only stayed over at my sister’s house once. As I mentioned, my sister had to work during the time I was home and so I stayed over at her place on the weekend after we had a nice BBQ with sausages, steaks, baked potatoes, salads, bread and herbed butter.

We got super lucky with the weather, so we could sit outside in my sister’s backyard.

It was nice to be at her house and just hang out. After the kids went to bed, we even had a bit of time to talk and catch up, which was super nice as we sometimes go a couple of weeks without talking on the phone (but we do text!)
The next morning, I loved ~~waking up~~ being woken up by the kids and then all have breakfast together — as if we do that every Saturday. I mean, at least it felt like that… even if in reality, it’s such a rare event.

… having brunch with a friend in Köln and shopping with my Mom and sister

I got to see my friend Ilka in Köln for breakfast and we had some uninterrupted girl time to catch up on each others’ lives. I wish we could do that more often.
I also got to go shopping with my Mom and sister that day.

… spending Mother’s Day with my Mom (and rest of the family!) hanging out in my hometown

We walked around at the park downtown, took some pictures and then went out for ice-cream. It was such a fun afternoon!

In the evening, we had dinner at my parents’ house. My Mom made white asparagus (see below!), which I had requested for my last dinner at home. May is ‘asparagus season’ in Germany and you’ll see it everywhere! I am not really sure why white asparagus is not so popular over here, because it’s delicious!

… eating all the food

I already told you about all the delicious food we had for my niece’s communion, but besides that my Mom also tried everything to satisfy my cravings for (mostly) German food.

White asparagus with ham and potatoes — coffee and strawberry tartlets — Mettbrötchen

German BBQ — Italian Antipasti — Sauerkraut and pork belly

Belgian fries — ribs, mashed potatoes, and cucumber salad — Apricot tart with whipped cream

Not pictured: Heringsstipp (pickled herring in cream sauce), gelato from my favorite Italian ice-cream shop and ALL THE FRESH BREAD + ROLLS.

So yeah, in case you can’t tell, I had a horrible time…. hahaha! [\sarcasm off]

My niece’s first communion

June 12, 2017 filed under: family, home

My niece’s first communion was the main reason I was traveling home last month. I am her godmother and wanted to be part of the ceremony.

I arrived home on Saturday afternoon and the communion was on Sunday. We had a small breakfast at my parents’ house before we got ready for the church service at 11 a.m.

I honestly can’t say too much about the ceremony, the church was packed and we were seated somewhere in the back and couldn’t see anything that was going on at the altar, but I assume it was a nice ceremony, ha. I heard some laughs and the pastor tried to make the service suitable for children.

If I dare say so (and I am sure you’re going to think I am biased), but my niece was the most beautiful girl that day. She wore a non-traditional white Dirndl-style communion dress with a light green apron. And just look at her hair! My sister really knows how to do perfect up-dos.

We headed back to my sister’s house after the ceremony and everybody got some champagne or mimosas. The weather was pleasant enough and we were able to be out in the backyard during the day.

One of the take aways for the day: there was WAY too much food. But who am I to complain? It was all delicious and I was on ‘vacation’, so I was not counting calories (not that I really do that on a normal day).

The lunch buffet was partially catered by our favorite local Italian restaurant. We had tomato soup, fish, pork marsala, grilled vegetables, rosemary potatoes and scalloped potatoes and as dessert, tiramisu, my dad’s homemade ice-cream with strawberries and whipped cream.

Every German celebration includes ‘Kaffee & Kuchen’ in the afternoon and there were 7 cakes and pies to choose from. I tried 5 of them, please go ahead and judge me now.

The dinner buffet was prepared mostly by my parents: a variety of pickled antipasti, salads, pickled salmon, turkey and pork, bread and herb butter. Delicious!

It was a wonderful day and I was so grateful to spend precious time with most of my extended family.

24 hours with my bff

May 24, 2017 filed under: friends, girl time, home, travel

As I mentioned, at the beginning of my Germany trip, I spent 24 hours near Munich visiting my best friend from back home. She moved to Munich a couple of years ago and I had yet to see where she now lives with her husband M at Lake Starnberg.

I first flew into Frankfurt and then on to Munich where she picked me up at the airport. I hadn’t seen her in over a year and I was so glad to finally hug her again. Instant chatter ensued. I mean, we talk on the phone regularly, but there is always so much left to say!

We first drove to Starnberg and she and M showed me around. We ended up getting drinks and cake at Orange Beach, a beach bar and restaurant right on Lake Starnberg. We were super-lucky because the sun came out when we arrived.

We seriously had the best time just catching up and enjoying the views!

Later in the afternoon, we drove over to Ira’s home and even though she had previously sent me a video tour of the house, it was so nice to finally see it with my own eyes. The whole house is set up in “split levels”, which I love, and the guest room (where I was staying) is on the ‘third’ floor with a beautiful view of the lake and the Alps in the distance.

We took a walk through town and down to the lake and Ira showed me where she does all her daily routines (where she shops for groceries, where she runs, where the pharmacy and doctor is, etc.). You might think that this is ‘boring stuff’, but for me, to know and see where my best friend lives her daily life now, brings me a lot closer to her.

For dinner, we went to their favorite Italian place in Starnberg, ‘Al gallo nero’, where I indulged in delicious tomato soup (my favorite!) and authentic spaghetti carbonara. Yum.

Strangely enough, up until then, my jetlag had held off and I first noticed that I was starting to get tired when we got back to their house around 10 p.m. We chatted for a little while longer and then got ready for bed around 11 p.m.

The next morning, I was up early. For weeks, Ira and I had tossed around that weird idea that we should go running together when I visit. Of course, both Ira and I also didn’t really think that this was going to happen this time what was with the little time we had and my (very possible) jetlag.

We agreed that we would just play it by ear and that we would go for a short run on Saturday morning, if I felt up for it.

I know, some of you are probably shaking their heads wondering if we have gone mad or something, but for Ira and me, it was a heartfelt wish to be able to run together, to be able to do something ordinary together (pretending we could do that every fine goddamn day!).

So, when Ira texted me from downstairs at 6:30 a.m. (“Are you up?”), I enthusiastically responded (‘YES! Do you want to run?’), so we got dressed and headed for the lake shortly after 7 a.m.

It was a beautiful morning! We ran 5 miles along the lakeshore and to be honest, it was the best hour out of the roughly 24 hours we got to spend together. We chatted away, we passed Schloss Possenhofen (you must know that Ira and I are huge fans of the ‘Sissi’-movie-trilogy, the movies about the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and the castle used to be Sissi’s childhood home) and enjoyed the amazing morning view of the lake and the Alps, and we couldn’t shut up about the fact how special this moment was for both of us!

M picked us up at Steg 1 in Pöcking later and after a quick shower, we had an amazing German breakfast with fresh rolls, bread, croissants and pretzels, eggs, deli meats, cheese, and jam. It was just the best. I think Ira was a little irritated (jokingly) how much I praised the breakfast, but let me tell you, you appreciate things way more when you can’t have them for a while. Just sayin’.

At 9:30 a.m., my Mom called to confirm my flight number and arrival time with me again… because she couldn’t find my flight online. Weird.

Well, turns out, I booked my flight home to Cologne for May, 4th… which was Thursday. Ahem.

I have no idea how that happened and I guess, I could have freaked out about it, but instead I laughed it off (my family, too) and Ira was all smiles anyway because it meant I was going to be around for a few extra hours. Win-win!

I looked into options of rebooking my flight (the train wasn’t an option on such short notice) and then spent a couple more hours hanging out in Iras backyard. We really made the best of the time we had together and it almost felt longer than just 24 hours. The best part was that it felt so comfortable and easy to be around Ira (which is something that I do miss here, as I don’t have any local super-close friends), but it shouldn’t come as a surprise as we’ve known each other for most of our lives. Old friends are the best friends.

At 2:30 pm, I boarded the plane to fly back home and was greeted by this beautiful city view of Cologne and then my Dad, Greta and Tom who picked me up at the airport. Home is where the Dom is.

Germany bucket list

May 5, 2017 filed under: family, Germany, home, travel

Every time I travel back home, I have a bucket list of things to do when I am there. This is totally normal, right? Everybody makes lists like this. Since this is my hometown I am visiting, my list includes nothing much out of ordinary, nostalgic things (these are by no means tourist-y suggestions, sorry!)… just things I miss out on by living so far away from family and friends and that I am soaking up whenever I am there.

This time around I am looking forward to…

… spending time with my niece and nephew

Duh. I miss my two munchkins and wish we could be together more often.

… spending 24 hours near Munich with my best friend

I intentionally planned a stopover in Munich on my way home because otherwise I wouldn’t have had the chance to see my bff during my visit this time. She’d just been cleared after another tumor check-up, and I am super-excited to hug her and that I will finally have the opportunity to see where she lives now, since I haven’t been able to visit her ever since she moved to Bavaria.

… my niece’s first communion.

It will be an opportunity to spend a whole day with family and family friends, good food and conversation.

… eating all the food

I always have a list of things that I want to eat when I go home, mostly because these things are a) not available in the US or b) homemade by Mama. Some include “Mettbrötchen” (rolls with freshly minced meat, salt, pepper and onions – OMG!), my Mom’s potato pancakes, all the fresh bread + deli meats (there is a much larger variety than here!) , white asparagus (it’s asparagus season in Germany!) and fresh Sauerkraut.

… sleeping in my childhood room

I love coming home to my parents’ house and sleeping in my childhood bed. It’s almost a little bit of time travel right there.

… going to the downtown market with my Mom on Saturday morning

Not sure why but that is something that I always enjoy during my visits home.

… going for a run with my cousin

My cousin is a sports buff like me and we’ve talked about that he would like to support my ongoing half marathon training while I am in Germany by joining me for a run, maybe even two. Yes!

… working out with my Dad

When my parents were here for a visit last fall, I took my Dad to my gym for a workout. Now, I am looking forward to working out with him at his gym.

… having a sleepover at my sister’s house

One of the things I miss most is being able to just hang out with my sister at her house. I hope we can at least squeeze in one sleepover while I am there (unfortunately, she will be working while I am there.)

… having brunch with a friend in Köln

I won’t have much time to see a lot of people during my short visit this time, but I am glad that one of my dear friends will make time to see me for brunch during the week and that I get to spend some time in my favorite city

… shopping for items to bring back to my US home.

I always have a shopping lists of things to buy and bring back to the US after a visit. It’s usually a mix of candy, licorice, chocolate, tea, and selected personal hygiene items. Some of these I can’t find in the US and/or they’re outrageously expensive (in comparison).

As always, there are things I’d like to do that I won’t be able to fit in this time, like spending time with a few other people that are dear to me and – as always – more time with family, but that’s ok. I am trying to be more than grateful for the time that I will have back home.

How far away is home for you?

Do you make lists like that every time you visit?

Home Tour

August 12, 2016 filed under: about me, home

I know, I know. We’ve lived in our house for 7+ months now *gasp* and I still haven’t given you the big tour. The reason is that there is still so much more I want to do to this space, but purchasing ALL THE NEW THINGS requires time. We’ve made a few investments already, but there are more things I want to buy. I heard that one is never really ‘done’ after moving into a house and I am afraid that might be true… so, to finally show you a bit of our new living quarters, you get the current state of affairs. Future changes to be expected.

the living room

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the living room + front door

the dining area

the kitchen

This kitchen is my EVERYTHING. Honestly, if you’d ask me what the favorite part of our house is, it’s the kitchen. I dreamed of a bigger kitchen (with ample counterspace) for such a long time. And I just love the Scandinavian-farmhouse style of this kitchen. It’s the first thing I noticed when I walked into the house on “Open house”-day and it’s what I instantly fell in love with. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I pretty much liked everything else about this house as well.

our own washer + dryer – yay! :)

the hallway

the bedroom

Yeah. Our bedroom still needs some love.

Not pictured:

+ the second bedroom (craft room – ha!), because it’s still a total mess (even after 7 months). Maybe I get it set up and presentable before my parents visit in a couple of months.

+ our backyard (because I haven’t taken any photos yet).

Stay tuned for any updates!

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