Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was the perfect example of why we chose to move to Munich.  Through all the tough adjustments and stressful decisions we are finally at a point where the loose ends are tied up and we are enjoying our stay. It is a definite slow down from our past fast paced life style and we are loooooving it!

Saturday, Husband and I headed to a festival called Auer Dult.  The festival first started in 1905 and is considered Europe's largest market for kitchen goods.  It is located on Mariehilfeplatz right on the grounds of a catholic church.  One half of the platz is lined with rows and rows of antiques, pottery, kitchen tools and gadgets.  The other side of Mariehilfeplatz was a fair ground with tons of rides, a ferris wheel, and food stands with delicious smells filling the air.

Mariehilfe                                          Finally found my name!

After Auer Dult, Husband and I randomly found a cute coffee cafe near the university. The place had a lovely vintage feel.  My favorite part were the menus that all had been taped inside old German chapter books. Enjoying a cup of coffee, in the beautiful spring weather, with a great atmosphere is always a relaxing time.

 

Sunday, I convinced my homebody of a husband to take a picnic to Stanburg See.  Despite the overcast cooler weather, we had a wonderful time walking the trails.  Shelby even ran straight into the lake in true lab fashion!  I think I could have sat for hours staring out at sailboats crossing the water.  It was a nice change of scenery from the usual busy city of Munich. 

In love with Starnburg See!               Shelby Sunday Fishing

Husband and I also finally started getting our patio ready for the nice spring weather that has arrived.  We planted a few new flowers and hope to start a tomato plant or two.  It looks like we also will be getting rid of our current patio table and chairs as it is too large for the space.  There is not an unawkward way to take a seat.  Although, it is hard to give up entertaining with table settings, we have decided to try a more casual lounge set instead.  We feel it will suit the space better.  More updates to come later!

The Before, Ready for a redo!

Enjoying Spring,

Therapy

I was so homesick Saturday that Husband took me to therapy.  Ok, it was really shopping therapy.  Sometimes when a girl is feeling down, a day shopping is the perfect cure!  

We started the day off with a stop at Ikea.  This is the perfect home away from home for us because, if you don't know, Ikea is the same everywhere you go!  No matter what, you can count on the massive yellow and blue concrete box, filled with thousands of other boxes, hustling and bustling with people carrying home their ready to assemble treasures.  The only difference between a German and American Ikea is that beneath the Swedish price tags you will find the descriptions in Deutsch. Hello, Google Translate!

Ikea on a Saturday=Bravery

No trip to Ikea is complete without of course, a stop in their perfectly planned out cafeteria.  A meatball plate is exactly the same an ocean away except for the added horse meat. (Thank goodness they fixed that problem)  There is nothing quite like drowning your homesick blues under a big pile of meatballs and gravy.

"That's a good meatball."

About a month ago I was flipping through a German Instyle magazine.  Inside, I found a glossy ad with a very familiar logo for TKMaxx. Confused as to what happened to the J in TJMaxx, one of my British friends told me that TKMaxx is a clothing chain in England and there is one here in Munich.  Apparently, it is the same company, colors, logo and all, just with a K instead of a J.  My mouth dropped open and I immediately was dumbfounded as to why I had not known about this or more importantly, been there yet!

Feels Like Home!

So after Ikea, my wonderful husband drove me about 45 minutes outside of Munich to visit TKMaxx.  I spent the next hour in hunting shopping bliss.  Lucky for Husband, there was a conveniently located electronics store just on the other side of the parking lot.  Later on when he returned to TKMaxx he found me pushing one of their well known little plastic shopping carts, filled with a few wonderful items.

The Loot

After seeing some style inspirations on the blog All Things Katie Marie, I knew I needed wanted some skinny printed jeans.  Normally I'm a plain sweater, jeans and boots type of girl, but the Germans have clearly embraced the 80s, so why shouldn't I?  In the clearance section I found some coral, brown, and tan striped jeans.  Hearing my husband doubt these pants and making a sour face made me want to purchase them even more!  I tried the wild things on, they fit, I bought them.  I brought the pants home, tried out some different shirt/shoe scenarios and now Husband admits "they are not so bad."  So yay! I made my very first clothing purchase in Germany.  It only took me 9 months to gain the courage and desperation to figure out what my "European" size is!

Dare to be Daring

I haven't actually worn these pants out in public yet... but I'm hoping to get the guts to do so soon!

Happy Shopping Therapy,

Try to Walk Away...and I Stumble

Super embarrassing moment today.  

For this story you need to get familiar with the setting in which it takes place:

Every Thursday I take 8 kids from my class to a gym a block away from our school.  We rent out a room for two hours and the kids work on stretching, cardio, and large motor skills with our school's coach.  The gym is in one of the finest neighborhoods in Munich and is extremely swanky.  When you first step inside there is an espresso/cappuccino/smoothie bar surrounded by a fireplace and white leather European sofas.  It is dark, relaxing, and very contemporary.  There isn't a water cooler but rather a water station with different carafes of cucumber, orange, and lemon water. The machines are high tech, there aren't television screens running along the top of the walls or awkward techno music blaring out of the speakers. In the back of the gym you can smell relaxing aromas, see rooms with massage tables, and in the oasis that is the bathroom, there is a hot steamy sauna.  This gym is over the top nice.  I couldn't even come close to affording a membership here if I wanted.

So today...the kids are all walking in a line towards our work out room.  I'm at the back of the line with the last child.  As we turn the corner from the entryway and into the main gym room, I look over my shoulder to the last kid and say "Come on, let's walk a bit faster".  Right as the word "faster" slips out of my mouth my foot runs into a machine.  My right leg is knocked up and my left leg is forced to jump up and over the machine causing me to stumble forward. My arms spring out in front of me and my whole body jolts as I trip all over the floor.  Immediately, 3 guys gathered around a computer screen to my left, are spurting out in German "Alles ok?", "Are you okay?", "Kann ich Ihnen helfen?", "Can I help you?" They looked very similar to the following picture:

Source

It was a moment out of a Hollywood movie.  I'm. not. even. joking.  Time seemed to move in verrrrrrrry slow motion as I regained my step.  Flabbergasted, I just laughed it off, and replied "Alles gut, danke." ("Everything is good, thank you.") 

Who says you need to dress scandaless to get a guy's attention? Just fall on your face! (And yes, my husband laughed when I told him this story!!!)

In other news: 

Check out what we had for dinner tonight!

Remember the lyrics "I think I'm turning Japanese  I think I'm turning Japanese"?  Well, I'd like to change that to "I think I'm turning Japanese German." During the work week it is very common for Germans to eat a cold, fresh, finger food meal.  Usually, hot cooking is left to weekend meals. I'm starting to like this cultural norm after a long day in kindergarten. 

Tonight we ate:

-Pretzel cheese rolls

-Basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes

-Red bell peppers

-Salami

-Gouda cheese

-Avocado

-Black Forest Ice Cream (no joke, cherries and all!)

Everyone have a good Friday and watch your step out there! (Unless you're single, then may the best stumble be with you!)