When Gnomes Go Bad...

Germany loves gnomes. Gartenzwergen. So, in anticipation of going back to the US in September for a visit, I started looking for gnomes for my mother. So, I went to ebay and typed in Gartenzwergen. I expected this:

I got this: (Please shield your children's eyes!)

Sorry, Mom. I don't think its legal in the States to have some of those in your front yard.

The Haircut

I knew it was bound to eventually happen.... When I was Eliza's age, I snipped my bangs into a short spiky 2 cm row. My mom had to take me to the hair dresser who pulled the next layer over my spikes and cut them into bangs.

Today, I was working on some Primary stuff. There was loud construction outside, and I thought I heard a *sssssnip*. But maybe I was imagining things. So, I call to Eliza.
"Eliza, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
And, I return to my work. A few minutes later... *sssssnip*
"Eliza, was that you?"
"Nope, not me."
One more time *sssssssnip*
"Eliza, do you have scissors?"
*silence*
I go in to see what is going on.
I find this:

That is a lot of hair!!!! Want to see the results?
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I guess Rapunzel will not be letting down her hair anymore. Eliza was really disappointed that it didn't change color. Sigh. I got off this time. Hopefully, there won't be anymore hair cutting instances by Miss Eliza.

Unforgettable Moments in Germany

Eliza and I ride the subway each day home from school. We have a pattern. We ride in the same car and then take the elevator up to the street level. In the elevator, she pushes the "auf" button and says "Oberfläche." Today, a group of ladies beat us to the elevator. They got on and pushed the button. Eliza squeezed by and pushed the button again. She accidentally slightly hit the "ab" button also which caused the elevator to open again. No big deal, right? Well, the lady next to her starts to go on and on about how she should never touch the buttons. They are dangerous. She could cause us to get stuck in the elevator and then the fire trucks would have to come and she would have to go to jail... and on and on and on. The second she opens her mouth, all I smell is booze. All of the other ladies on the elevator are shaking their heads at the lady and rolling their eyes. I just smiled the whole time. As we were getting off of the elevator, the lady says, "Doesn't she hear me?" To which, I casually reply with a small smile and a slight shrug, "Oh, she doesn't speak German." All of the other ladies busted up laughing, and the lady turned completely red.

Catch Up: Out with the Old...

Note: I was looking through old blog posts and realized that I never published this.

Moving to Germany has been time consuming, stressful and very physically demanding. We basically sold almost all of our worldly possessions. We sent one moving cube to Delaware with our heirlooms. We are arriving with only suitcases. Here are some pictures of the process:

Packing up the important things

Visits from family. Note the piles in the back for the yard sale.

I took so many pictures for posting on Craigslist. Here is our couch. It found a home with Lisa. I really miss it. It wasn't really beautiful, but it was the most comfortable couch ever!

I know I should have taken pictures of the yard sale and the boxes and the pod, but honestly, I was exhausted physically and emotionally.

Coming up next: Trip to the East Coast

Mothers Day

I had a fabulous Mothers Day. Unfortunately due to aforementioned technical difficulties, I didn't get to talk to my own mother, but I had previously wished her a happy mothers day. Here is a pic of me with my favorite mothers day present. Strange to think that it has been 5 years since the mothers day I found out I was having her. I chose to transfer my mothers day present to her this year, and she got this awesome Playmobil doll house.

The Swam

This is next to Eliza's school. We stop by each day to visit the "swams." Sorry for the cellphone pic. I'll try to take my camera with me one day.

Longing

While I very much enjoy this:

 I yearn for this:

*sigh*

Kindergarten

Eliza attends a Kindergarten here in Germany. It is actually a preschool. She really likes it. It is all in German. It is amazing to me how fast she is picking it up! Here is Eliza with her teacher, Frau Yushiniok.

We chose....

#2!
The town of Garching is adorable. The apartment is bright and sunny, but most importantly is a block from the subway connecting us to the city.

Here are pictures that I took on a very misty morning:

Technical Difficulties

Hey everyone! Sorry to leave youi all in the lurch. We've been sans home internet now since 27 April. We have droids* but typing on a touch screen is not ideal. Also, my internet has been slowed by the provider because everyone uses my phone to skype. To add to the difficulty, our phones don't want to tether* bc the phones are from one provider and our service another. And, I just haven't had time to take it all downtown. So we are alive. And, as soon as I can figure out how to transfer pics from the computer to the phone, I'll catch everone up.

*My Nana reads this blog. Droids are google powered cell phones that get on the internet. Tethering is using your cell phone to connect your computer to the internet.