Throwback Thursday – People, It’s My Birthday

Today is my birthday. Holy hell. The past 4 birthdays seem to really bring me back to reality. The truth is as simple as it sounds: I’m not getting any younger. To me, this is terrifying! Like shakin in my boots scared. Where did my life go? Am I where I want to be? Did I do all the things I wanted to do up until this point?

Today I’m 29…Like…whoa…

…and here is a little blurb of me on my 3rd birthday ( I think )

Today I had so many wonderful birthday messages through all sorts of different social networks and emails. It kind of makes a girl feel special. So to those of you who wished me a Happy Birthday, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Being so far away from what is normal it helps me stay grounded. I forget that living in Germany means that I have to follow their traditions, which is hard since I’ve been celebrating my birthday a different way every year. But I know that next year I will get to celebrate my birthday back in the US next year and it will be amazing!!!! Can. Not. Wait.

So I have one year left in my 20’s. One year as of today to do something great. I’ve got my life bucket list, I have my German bucket list which I am plucking away at but I want something different. Another blogger friend did 30 German towns before she turned 30. That inspired me to want to do something of my own. 30 things before I turn 30. But I need your help and your inspiration to give me ideas. What should I do with myself?! Give me your thoughts!

Here is to another year…correction, another wonderful year full of taking roads that are less traveled and making our own stories. Chapter by chapter.

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxo

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost

Throwback Thursday – A Babyrific Post!

Another Thursday yet again, only that much closer to the weekend! Woot woot! I’ve been having crazy dreams about babies and fertility drugs and all sorts of whacko stuff. And staying in theme with this week’s post about Germany’s way of announcing babies I decided to throw us all back to a cold December day in 2009 when my nephew was born! He was the first to give me the name “Aunt Kait” and I just fell TOTALLY in love with him when I saw him all wrapped up like a burrito.

Isn’t he adorbs?!? He’s all grown up now practically…talking, walking, saying “no” to everything because he can and because he’s a little manpants. Still totally in love with that sweet boy! This picture was also before I knew I had endometriosis and it was a time where the possibility of having my own child was still an easily reachable goal on the horizon.

For those of you who know that I wrote a story called “The Letter” for a great organization called CausePub, we need a certain amount of people to sign up to buy the electronic story. It’s only $10, and it would help us meet our goal to 1. Publish the book and 2. provide clean water to over 40,000 people in Africa. This is such a big deal to me.

I wrote the story a long time ago, not really sure that I would ever publish it in fear of showing my feelings and sounding too dramatic and spotlight hogging. But that’s not the case. I published it and people wrote to me, thanking me for my bravery. That they share the same feelings and problems and are feeling less alone. To have this story published in a book would be not only incredible for a writer like me but imagine the people it would influence!

If you would like to spend the $10 (come on, we all have it to spare!) then please go to CausePub – Buy the book and read more about what your money would do for others. Andddd of course, how it would make me kinda famous!

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday – Vacation Style

Yes indeed…it is in fact August 1st already! Where has the time gone? Except, I am FREAKING OUT because we are that much closer to Christmas and you all know how much I LOVVVVVEEEE Christmas!!! Every week I put on my Christmas tunes and sing along as I clean the floors. It’s my thing, don’t judge. Just hop on the happy train and do it with me!

Anyways, starting next week, Toblerone has vacation for 3 weeks. Many companies have mandatory summer vacation. Three weeks is typical, sometimes two weeks. Ridiculous right? Like who made up this rule and didn’t pass it on to the Americans?! The hubs gets the mandatory summer vacation, also two weeks for Christmas into New Years and then he has his own vacation time of two weeks which he can use when he wants. Plus we have to add in all the holidays they have here…heavy catholic region = using God as a reason to party every week and have a day or five off! Its the truth, I’m sorry! I’m just jealous…I’m jealous for all my hard working family and friends back home who struggle to make their 10 days last throughout the year. End rant.

This week’s Throwback Thursday (yes I know I missed last weeks but you aren’t that sad, right?!) I’m going back to a vacation. Toblerone and I went on our first real deal vacation in April of 2010. Real deal as in flying together for the first time! We went to St. Pete’s beach in Florida, met some awesome people, and got rip roaring drunk most days! OH! and he dragged me to a Bon Jovi concert! Ha! But it was fun, I swear!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday – Shaken Not Stirred

Every girl wants to be a James Bond girl at least once in her life! Right?! She’s strong and gorgeous and gets to fall in love with a hot Brit with an even hotter accent! Plus, it helps that he drives an Aston Martin 🙂

Back in 2008 I went to South Beach Miami to celebrate New Years 2009 with friends. The friends I was with happened to own an Aston Martin and my girlfriend shot this pic of me quickly before we went out. Its one of my favorite pics! I had on my big poofy pink dress and I was about to have one of the greatest New Years I would ever have! But more than that, I got my James Bond Girl picture! 🙂 Ahhh Memories….I love Throwback Thursdays!!!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday – A Fitness Transformation

Ah yes, another Thursday is upon us and in light of my new (hoping to make it an..) obsession, I decided with my wedding coming up in one year, it was time to get myself into a habit I can love and really hold on to for years to come. I’ve read a lot about a few fitness guru types and the one I really seem to like is Tracy Anderson. Fitness freak to the stars but I like that she utilizes the idea of keeping things small and lean. I do not like the look of bulky muscles on me so I would prefer the “ballerina” style. So, the 90 day metamorphosis transformation has begun. Just finished workout number one and I want to kill myself! lol. She’s no joke and with my back issues, its not easy. I can’t lay on my back for the abs workouts so I’m going to do her standing ab workouts during that time in the video.

In honor of my day 1 achievement, I felt it was fitting to post a picture of my younger, thinner self. Motivation! Try to be like in my 20s…those were the good old days!

This was my 21st birthday. Such a great birthday! Had a bunch of friends in a hummer limo and we bar hopped…mixed way too many different kind of shots. lol. Eh, it was all in good fun! Felt like a million bucks bags of sewer water the next day but what a fantastic memory. And more so, look at that 21 year old body! AH! How did I let myself go?!

Throwback Thursday On A Friday

Yeah I know, I’m a bit late on this but all for a good reason! I was busy! That’s a good reason right? Ok ok…maybe I was just lazy and then at night when I went to do my post, random guests showed up and by the time they left I was doing the drunken stumble up to bed. Thats the truth.

SO….Today is Throwback Thursday on a Friday! And what a great Friday it is!! It’s July 5th, the day after a fantastic drinking and blowing things up holiday in the US. But today is a special day for two reasons.

The first is one of my best friend’s birthday!! This throwback is to 2008 when we met and became instant BFFs over martinis and broken wine corks! Happy 30th to you, dear friend!

And the other special thing is the 61st wedding anniversary of my lovely grandparents! This is them leaving after their wedding. How classic is this picture? The way my grams cute little dainty gloved hand is just holding the brim of her hat! So darling!! Happy Anniversary to them!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

American Week in Aldi Süd

Aldi (grocery store), which is in the US and many other countries but was founded here in Germany, has “American Week.” They sell items that are “American” the week before July 4th. It’s funny because most of the Germans have no idea what that is. I saw on one German blog that they assumed it was American Week in Aldi because President Obama was recently in town. News Flash. You’re wrong.

**** INSERT GIANT GAME SHOW BUZZER SOUND****

Most of this stuff isn’t that special. It isn’t really anything you can’t get in Germany, however it’s packaging has an obnoxious American flag all over it and they write the product in English. Whoopty Doo. There are some things that are pretty gross and as an American, I am upset that they would make us look even more ridiculous and fat with false advertising.

Step right up to the freak show! They seriously have no clue!

American Sauces –

Ladies and Gents, Prepare your eyes for the sore of a lifetime! I give you the razzle dazzle of sauces…the splish splashy excitement offfffffff……..The 2 in 1! Sounds like a bad porn but the thing is, it’s mustard and ketchup in a single tube OR…(the excitement doesn’t end there) ketchup and mayo in a single tube! DISGUSTING! I’ve heard of the peanut butter jelly in a jar thing, which I will NEVER EVER try but this is just taking it too far. Really really gross.

Next up in the Sauces department is the catastrophe of Sandwich Sauce (or you may have seen the “Hamburger Sauce” I posted on the facebook page. Either way, what is it? And why would they assume we always have sauces on our sandwiches?! Mustard sometimes, mayo sometimes, but no special kind of sauce. Get with the program, Germs! As for the hamburger sauce…I make my own but it certainly doesn’t look like chunky mustardy curry mess. Just a side note.

Moving on with the program we come to the sweets:

I don’t even know what to do with this. What the heck is peanuts and flakes, anyways? And chocolate covered peanuts? Not something we Americans indulge in on the regular, unless of course they are in M&M packages. If even says on the carton, “from an original American Recipe.” This is bad. Real bad. And if it’s chocolate covered corn flakes you’re trying to put by me…well, I got news for you people. Thats just weird.

This bothers me to the core. I have nothing against the Brits, in fact, my dad lived there for several years and some of my fondest memories are from there. However, DO NOT MIX US UP!! We are not the same culture, we don’t even speak the same bloody language. So, why on earth would they suggest that the Americans like sweet popcorn?!?! (Note: the word “Süß” on the bucket means its coated with sugar.) I know the brits do this after my first time going to the movies and ordering popcorn in England. A mistake I’ll never make again. Just so ya’ll know…we like ours with butter and salt. Amen.

Theres a bunch of other things I’m not too fond of but I think I’ll let it go for now. I will, however, give them MASSIVE points for getting peanut butter right. This stuff is the closest I can find to Skippy or Jiff. I’m more of a skippy girl myself but you get the drift. It doesn’t taste like cardboard. Unfortunately, it only comes around once a year so I have to stock up. I threw 8 of these babies in my cart and Toblerone had to stop me from taking them all. I go a little bit overboard. But the jars are small! I mean, come on!

Regardless, beggars can’t be choosers in the world so I take what I can get. Or just wait until I go home and take everything I can get there! If you’d like to dig deeper and take a look at what Germans think of our eating habits,
you can see the rest of the items here.

If someone asks you what is American food, what do you say? What is our food?

My answer is normally, we are culturally diverse so its a mix of a hundred different cultures. But I’m interested to see what you think is “American” food.

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

(All pictures belong to http://www.aldi-sued.de)

Throwback Thursday

This week the throwback is to a FANTASTIC moment for me! I’ve fed all sorts of animals but never a cow! No better time to do this then in the Alps with wandering cows wearing giant bells around their necks! So in love! And as you can see from my picture…COMPLETELY excited!! 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday

It’s our last week in lovely America!!! Then it’s back to old Germany and back to blogging!

Today’s throwback is in honor of my perfect furry friend: Harley Jones Noodle ButtButt.

This was the first picture we took after we picked him up! His first car ride at 6 weeks and I snuggled him the whole way home. Now he’s 80lbs and such a character but full of love! Can’t wait to kiss his sweet face on Sunday!!!!

Until next time, Readers!!! Xoxoxoxoxo

Throwback Thursday

Today’s Throwback is dedicated to my brother who has a birthday today!!! Happy birthday Big Bro! 🙂

Here’s a picture of him…doing god knows what to me as a baby!

Until next time, Readers!!!! Xoxoxoxoxo