Things are getting serious.

Okay, here it goes. Remember how I've been whining about not being able to run for almost 6 months? (If not, please go back and catch up on every time I complained about it. It will be excellent use of your precious time.)

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At the end of November, when we were in Dresden, I did my first steps on the treadmill at the hotel (with the best breakfast ever! Yes, Nick, I have to keep saying it). Since then, I have slowly been adding "distance" (we are talking from half a mile to a mile, then to a mile and a half... You get the idea.) and "speed" (trying to be faster than 15 mins/mile).

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On January 1, I ran my first 3 miles without walking breaks (yay!) and since it felt good, I did the same thing again, and again, and again... 

Monday, on the way to school, I thought about the half marathon again. Remember how I signed up for that just shortly before I crumbled my old bones?

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Anyhow, I decided to just try to do it and you will have the pleasure of listening to all of my running stories until then - and after.

I'm sticking to one of Hal Higdon's training schedules that is available online here. It was recommended to me by the sweet hungryrunnergirl and I completely trust her judgement, because she is not only an amazing runner, but also an incredibly nice person, who takes the time in order to help idiots like me to find a good training plan.

I will be working with the Novice2 plan, because it seems the best for me at this point. It consists of 12 weeks with a good number of 3 mile runs (my current comfortable distance), long runs on weekends, and cross training. It's overall a very conservative plan that focuses more on being able to finish the race, rather than running a sub 1:30. Being able to finish, that is exactly what I am looking for.

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On Sunday, I did a 4 mile run (at the usual slow pace: 9:35, 9:34, 9:10, 9:04). Since the training plan begins with a rest day, I just took that one on Monday. For Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, there are 3mile runs on the schedule, followed by a rest day, and a 4mile run on Saturday. Cross training is on Sunday, which works out great for me.

However, as I go along, I will modify the plan a little bit, I'm sure and keep you posted about the changes I am making - both for you to know and for me to remember what I actually did. I think it may be a good idea to do a weekly post that looks back at the original plan and what modifications I made.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Want to hear something crazy?

Every time I take the train from and to school, I like reading the news on the TV screens that they have in each wagon.

I stole this picture here. 

Today, I learned something quite unsettling. Experts are estimating that there are still 3.000 bombs from WWII somewhere in the ground. Not in Germany. No, all of them are laying somewhere here in Berlin. Of course, we are not talking about anything above 110lbs…!

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I think everyone who left one here should come and pick it up. It would make me feel much more comfortable. Those things are dangerous! Oh, and while you are at it, there are only ten thousands of those in the rest of Germany that need to go, too.

I always knew that there were a few left in the ground, but reading that number, while being on the subway… yea. 

Anyhow, this was not the only crazy thing on the news: 

As you may or may not have heard, a UFO disrupted flights at Bremen airport yesterday. It wasn't only seen by upset neighbors, but actually called in by police and caught on the radar.

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I KNEW it was all true!

Unfortunately, I have to keep this post short. Last night was a very eventful one in our little universe here. Lucy must have caught a doggy stomach bug… or something. At least, that would explain the huge amounts of vomit that kept coming out of her. Good times. I'm glad that she is feeling better and back to her old divaesque self.

I said no pictures!

Good night everyone!

Here we go again...

… and of course, this morning, the poop-bag had two open sides.

At least, Karma always knows what day it is.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Great Things

My goodness, there has been so much great food over the past two weeks! Of course, most of it was fed to us at my parents' house. They really know how to celebrate the holidays.

To me, one of the best meals was the last dinner there. My parents surprised us by having Raclette with us!! It is normally something we would have on New Year's Eve, but since we were not going to be together that day and because I just love this dinner so much, we had it that evening! No need to mention, I was beyond thrilled!

In case you've never had it: for Raclette, you need an apparatus like the one in above picture. Its a little table grill/oven that is being placed in the middle of the dinner table. Everyone at the table gets a little pan or two (less people equals more pans!) and you put them into the grill from the sides. The top of the grill can be used to keep things warm (in this case potatoes) or to grill additional things (that depends on the type of raclette machine). 

Two pans for the hungry people!

Then you fill the table with all sorts of good things and lots of cheese! There is special "raclette cheese", which melts easily and is extra creamy, but if you don't have access to that, any thicker sliced, buttery cheese would work, too. 

We usually have ham, pineapple, bacon, mushrooms, corn, tomatoes… whatever you can come up with that will taste good covered with cheese and grilled.

I like this best with potatoes that are being cooked in the skin and then peeled at the table. (Hence the bowl with fork and knife in it.)

Then you just fill your pans, cover them with cheese, put it under the grill, and wait for it to be covered in melted cheese.

This was Nick's pan. He was so moderate filling his pan!

I had to forcefully push the food into the pan in order to fit it under the grill. Unfortunately, I missed taking a picture of my creations. Don't be sad. I promise, I will try to take even more pictures of food in the future ;o)

Lets talk about my next favorite thing to do: Running!
As I told you, I didn't have access to a gym at my parents' house, so I was forced to run on paved roads. Hilly paved roads - and it was wonderful! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love running outside. Seriously, I am worried I'll die of a heat stroke really soon, if I continue running on a treadmill at the gym. Every time, I turn purple and my body temperature rises by 40 degrees. It's bad.
Over the holidays, I was forced to run in the freezing cold and loved every shivering second. Before, I was mainly worried that pavement would be too hard on my knee, but now that I started it, I really, really can't go back to the treadmill.

T-shirt and shorts in 32 degrees are making
for the most comfortable running conditions.
(Apologies for the sleepy face.)

To be safe, I am sticking to a 3 mile distance for now. I can still feel my knee after the runs, so that's as much as I want to risk right now. Plus, after not running for almost half a year, I have to begin at the very beginning, which means that I have to build up milage one step at a time.

I was trying to take a picture over my shoulder while running.
The result was so bad, I had to cut out my face.

On January 1, it was the first time that I was able to run 3 miles without having to walk to catch my breath for a minute. About 3 weeks ago, I ran my first 3 miles with walking breaks in 38:00. Now, I am down to running it without breaks in 28:31. At first, I thought that it was one of those lucky days that you have. You know, when your run just feels really easy, and I was convinced that I wasn't able to do it again. (Plus, I was distracted by all the garbage on the road. Evidence of the previous night's festivities and destructions. Maybe that kept my brain focused on something else.)

However, I went out the day after and did the same thing. I can't tell you how much happiness this little victory brings me. Those legs are finally moving again! It will still be a little while until I will be able to do longer distances and I'm pretty certain that the half marathon in March is not a good idea, but there is progress. What else could I wish for?!

Craziness

As you all know, Nick and I spent New Years Eve in Berlin and I have to tell you, it was probably the craziest celebration we have ever seen.

Aside from setting off as many fireworks as we possibly can, there are a few traditions that Germans practice on this holiday. One of them is that we eat round, filled donuts on December 31st. In northern Germany, they are called "Berliner"and the legend says that they were first made by a baker from Berlin. He wanted to serve in the army of Friedrich the great, but wasn't accepted as a soldier. Instead, he was given a job to cook in the field kitchen, where he created the "Berliner" to give thanks for this opportunity. He shaped them in the form of canon balls and because there was no oven, he fried them in hot oil.

2x egg nog filling, 2x champagne cream, 1x strawberry, 1x plum!

Whether this is true or not, we are all very thankful for someone coming up with this delicious creation! After baking, Berliner are filled with strawberry jam, plum jam, egg nogg, or champagne creme and then covered with chocolate or just plain sugar frosting. Some people make them their own, others (like me) buy them ready to eat at a bakery.

If you are throwing a New Years party and you are offering a good number of Berliners, you can also fill one of them with mustard. That always guarantees for a lot of fun!

As you can see, I know how to cut them perfectly
and leave only the least amount of filling on the other half. 

We finished all of them!

For dinner, many people here eat raclette (I will tell you more about that this week) or fondue. Other families have their own dinner traditions and make things like potato salad and hot dogs/ wieners.
We decided to just make whatever we liked. Hot dogs for Nick, peeled potatoes and sliced salmon for me.

So festive!

We had only bought a few fireworks, but still struggled to fit all of them into the backpacks.

I don't remember when our neighbors started their fireworks, but I heard the first loud bang around noon. By the 8pm, rockets were flying off balconies and quarter sticks were landing in the middle of the intersection in front of the house. I have to admit that I was convinced that by midnight, nobody would have any fireworks lefts.

We left around 9:30pm and went to two different neighborhoods before going to our final destination, the main train station. On our little tour, we met some interesting people who not only traded vodka for two of our rockets, but also wanted to sell us Polish firecrackers, which, let me just tell you, are the loudest thing I have ever heard. I don't even know if they are legal. Once those guys threw them down the subway entrance, we knew it was time to leave.

Fortunately though, they showed Nick how to appropriately set rockets off right from your hand. I'm too attached to my fingers, both emotionally and physically, and passed on this wonderful opportunity to risk my hands, but he loved it. Scary times. Thankfully, nothing happened and everyone went home without losing extremities.

At the train station, we were able to find an amazing spot that allowed us to see the official fireworks at the Brandenburg gate, while still setting off our own fireworks, and watching thousands of people do the same thing. It was really cool.

Happy New Year!

Don't believe that the party ended there. Well, it did for us, but we heard fireworks throughout the next day. People here are unstoppable!

I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for us!

Looking back (at many, many pictures)

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a terrific night and a great start into 2014!?

Before I share with you how we spent our "Sylvester" (New Years Eve), today, I want to look back at the wonderful, exciting, happy, surprising, and overall amazing past 12 months.

January: 

View from our bedroom window in Baltimore on January 25, 2013.

In January 2013, we still lived in Baltimore and had just gotten back from our first trip to Germany together. On January 25, we were expecting a blizzard… and got a dusting and a snow day! 

February: 

Not that I know anything about football...

In February, the Baltimore Ravens won the SuperBowl - and even the newspapers at my German home town were filled with pictures of the big celebration. 

March:

March 23, 2013

In March, Lucy and I did a lot of running together, until she told me that 2 miles are the longest that she wants to run next to me on a leash. 

April: 

April 2013 was the month when we really started our preparation for the big move. This picture was taken on April 27, the day when Lucy moved into her new "travel home". It was also the day when she and Mr Pig became friends.

May:

May was probably the most life changing month in 2013. When Nick dropped us off at JFK airport, all three of us were quite anxious and excited at the same time. 

On May 27, the day after Nick landed in Berlin, we were already enjoying our new favorite spot to have coffee outside on the balcony. 

June: 

June 19, 2013

Lots of exciting things happened in June 2013! Obama came to visit Berlin (on what was probably the hottest day of the summer)…

June 22, 2013

…we stumbled upon the greatest selection of Haribo Candy at the Christopher Street Day - and the weirdest photo bomb happened. 

June 29, 2013

My parents spent their wedding anniversary week near Berlin...

June 29, 2013

… and Nick had his first breakfast egg!

July: 

July 20, 2013

I cut my hair off!

July 22, 2013

A picture from my last run before the injury. 

July 22, 2013

One of the best breakfasts I have ever had! (Yes, this deserves an extra mentioning and picture.)

August: 

August 1, 2013

 I officially crumbled my tibia bone.

August 17, 2013
At the music-beer-garden up the road from us. 

One of many happy date nights in August!

September: 

September was awesome for many reasons! On the 4th of this month, I was able to celebrate Mama's birthday with her for the first time in 6 years!

Just a day later, my nephew was born!! I still haven't met him, but I am hoping to see him in just a few months.

September 13, 2013

Right before flying to Baltimore in September, I had a root canal done. Good times. 

8 hours next to the lavatory on a plane with 200plus people. 

Worst seat on a plane that I've ever had was on the flight on September 18, 2013. 

October: 

Flowers waiting form me on October 3, when I got back.

Anniversary breakfast for us! We went to the restaurant in the most famous department store in Germany. If you are ever in Berlin, please go to the KaDeWe!

Awesome discovery later that day: I can dry our laundry 2 blocks down from our house! Just a little carrying and we have dry laundry within minutes!

Anniversary dinner with wine and dessert!

October 13, 2013

Nick left for the U.S. and some sad and lonely times began.

November: 

Mama came to keep me company for a few days.

November 15, 2013

A couple of days in Dresden together once Nick got back!

 We even walked up the famous Frauenkirche. (The second German church we climbed.)

Our first (and early) Christmas gift this year: a handmade nativity from my parents!

Once the Christmas markets opened, Nick and I went to as many as possible. This was our first trip and our favorite one for 2013, the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market.


December: 

December 22, 2013

The day we left for the holiday celebrations was also the day that we finally lit the fourth and last candle on our Advent-Candle-Tree.

December 30, 2013

A day in Cologne after Christmas!

December 30, 2013

Last Döner/ Lamachun of the year!

December 31, 2013

New Years celebration in front of the main train station in Berlin!