Girlfriends

Eliza's friend, H, is visiting from the States. We all went to Neuschwanstein together. The girls had an absolute blast together. Here is the evidence:

Playing with the iphone on the train

At the castle signs

Eliza thinks she's ready for Vogue

Sorry for the bad pic, but I had to shoot quickly. The owner was having a fit, but the girls were LOVING it!

Sitting on the bulldog outside of Taco Libre in Munich

Typical German Scenery

This Saturday, we went to Neuschwanstein. I'm working on more pics, but I had to share this idyllic, very typically German scene.

The Visitor

Our friends are out of town for the Feiertag* and asked us to watch their cat. He is the sweetest chocolate point Siamese. Eliza is in love!

Can you BELIEVE this girl doesn't have a kitty of her own yet? Applications should be made to Claron.

*Feiertag - Public Holiday, Day Off. This week there is a Feiertag on Thursday for Father's Day. Most people also have Friday off.

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*