the sun is goregous.

today i ate a whole bag of fake peanut M&Ms. oh wait no i opened them yesterday.

i have so much to say, but when i sit down at the computer, ich bin mude. (i am tired).

But a few updates i guess.
i am addicted to riding my bike. like i ride it everywhere. but i think i look pretty hiliarous on it. honestly i think the germans are laughing at me. wait no, they never smile. but i ride so slow, and when i pick up my speed the grandma's pass me. haha its great, they are uber serious about biking here.. no lie. and am i loving the nice weather. unlike in ohio where i mean i feel like i saw the sun at least once a week if not at least once a day... in northern germany that was not the case. but i feel so blessed to have been able to enjoy the sun (with no clouds=a miracle) for like 4 days now, and it should be continuing in this fashion for a week more. i am excited, plus more bike riding. yipeee. but i have already had a few incidents, on friday i was riding and i was talking with julia (myflatmate) and yup ran right into a sign pole, like i mean i nicked it. and i just laughed like a banchee. haha i couldnt believe i didnt see that. and then today we were riding to a friends house for lunch (finally some mexican food!) but julia started to cut really quick onto this path through this stone thingys and yeah i was going slow (ie i am a grandma) and i just totally ran right into. The guy standing next to me goes, "you should slow down, and clean off your sunglasses" mind you all in german, i just am like yah i am ok danke. mind you i believe he was making fun of me because 1- i was going so slow already(thats probably why i crashed) and 2- no one ingermany (or northern germany) wears sunglasses. they just squwint. so i always get looked at with my huge white sonnebrille. ah. oh well. i am sure if i am to get injured it will be by bike.

school. school is going ok. right now its getting really redundant. like we have the same class and the same teacher and the same stucture and the same people at the same time in the same building everyday. you can see how it sucks. and reminds me alot of highschool. you cant miss a class. (hello, i thought i was paying YOU to teach me? ohh right. yahhh right. surre ). i mean i love my teacher, she is great. but sometimes dressing up like a doctor, or playing hotel manager, or I spy, or singing songs... just gets old. but i danno. but my politics class- what a bore. i thought i was going to like that. i mean i feel like i have an interest in politics. i think this teacher has really put that fire out. uhhh he is such a bore. plus he is a german (and cute) but he feels like he must use the most intelligent english words when simple ones will suffice and then we spend half the time waiting for him to think of the correct word. plus he always lets us out late. and my other teacher too. its like HEAVEN forbid we are late to their class but they can surely make you late for something else. LAME-O. anyways i got a B on my midterm. it was crap but oh well i passed. whatever. this class doesnt count, which is not keeping me motivated (and not to mention i still have to write a 15 page paper.... when is that going to happen???)

travels still left that i would like to do. tommororw i will look into flying to rome to visit my friend from project who is studying there. i am pumped. hopefully it will work out, i have found really great deals. and then also i would like to go to swizterland because its goregous, and i wanna go back. i am excited for easter, i am going to southern germany(where the sun shines and there are mountains and castles to look at!) with my flatmate julia. i am excited to see how the germans celebrate easter. hmmm what else??? have any ideas? i dont have much time left but i might end up staying a bit longer here... it just depends on a few things. we will see because i have no idea what god has planned for me for this summer.... hmmm

speaking of my wonderful Father. God is good. i am really excited to share some of the cool things in my life right now. he has created great relationships with some really awesome christians here , and given me a small but awesome support group. plus the relationships with my flatmates is really great. we are like sisters and i am going to miss them ALOT. like the other day one started to get teary eyed ( i still have 6 weeks mind you!) but god has really be awesome with that and he has just given me so much since i have been here. he has provided me with housing at most of my travels with people i had only had email contact with, money, a bike, books, encouragement. its just been really good to see god work. also there is a huge thing in germany called JesusHause. which is crazy (check it out, www.jesushause.de) because i feel like europe is so spritually dead, like they have been hurt so bad by the church enough times they dont want anything to do with it now, but this is a huge event (like YYAM?) and yeah i am so excited for it. i think i am going to try and help out an at the info desk or something. but its really cool. i hope that maybe i can bring my flatmates along to one of the days. also julia bought a bible yesterday and we have been having some really great spritual talks. and ed might go on project this summer. ahh but i still have no idea what god has dared me to do next... we will see...


ohhh and on friday we (julia kathrin and i) are planning a girls afternoon./night. we are so excited. julia cant wait for an American girls night. we are doing nails, food and crafts and watching pride and prejudice!! it should be a great time. and i think a few girls need some time away from boys and drama. ohh dear.


anyways. whats going on in your life?? fill me in. i love the updates. :)


PS my next post will be in german. get your dictonaries out. haha

Spring Break Part Three

If you havent looked at my pictures below first... check those out ( i cant figure out how to move these post and arrange them but oh well)!!

After vienna i headed to Wurzburg (in Bavaria) to meet up with Eileen, one of my mom's teachers at old trail's sister in law (phew. did you get that!) It was a gorgeous city with many people out an about ( and hey the weather is getting nice so why not!!) we walked around the city a bit ( why did i choose to live in northern germany where it is pure flat lands - these mountains and hills were beautiful!) There was a gorgeous palace on one side and a huge church (kapella) on the other side of the mountains. the Next day we headed to Rothenburg, which is exactly what you think of (if you have ever thought of ) a small german medival town. this town hasnt been touched since then and has a huge wall along the edge. We headed into the criminal museum (where they show torture methods from the middle ages!!) it was really interesting. If women were fighting they would put them in this Violin on their necks and arm (together) until they stopped fighting! but that was like the least that was done to them! After our tour of this city we headed back into town and went out for a lovely tradtional steak and german potatoes meal... after stuffing ourselfs we headed back to Eileen's flat and watched an old aubrey hupburn movie and pigged out on snack food!! ( to say the least i am riding my bike and walking everywhere now... i have just eaten so much sweets and goodness lately!!!) On sunday (yesterday!!) we went on to the American Base (after a great big breakfast!) and we went to church and then i got to go into their store, which was like heaven all over again... i got lined paper, cheez-its, a book, some oreos and an reese's egg for easter! ah heaven. then I had TACOBELL for lunch. it was crazy. i was eating tacobell in germany. (my friends back in luneburg were jealous) haha then i headed back on a longer than expected train back to Lueneburg.

My break was great, fast paced and fun filled and just lovely. I was so excited with all the different people i met and conversations i had. It was truly awesome.... now for school. I got an A in my German 2 course... and we are only speaking german in the flat (well i lied, but i am trying to only speak german in the flat. i should be improving in no time).

anyways....how are you!!! I am excited to see what you have been up to, thank for your prayers, calls, letters and love!!! xoox

Spring break Part Two

If you havent looked at my Turkey pictures scroll down below. If you have enjoy reading about Vienna....

After spending a few hours in the plane ( we had to do some technical stuff which made our plane late arriving) I arrived safe in vienna... but late. I had bought tickets to a Tschaikowskis ballet, but of course i got lost, went the complete wrong direction (met some cool people along the way) and then finally made it to the ballet for the last three songs. oh well it was worth it because it was gorgeous in the Wien Staatoper. Next I met up with my new friends Jane and Tony, we had dinner and chatted and got to know eachother. Then on Thursday Tony took me all around vienna. I went and saw the Hapsburg's Summer palace... so pretty... here is me on top of a hill loving life in the sun. ( this was before we were yelled off to get off the grass... hahah) and below is another angle of the palace. i mean i wouldnt mind living there.... below is me infront of this huge statue (you cant see most of it) but it was build by the king for his queen (maybe you have heard of her, sissy?) well she most def did not love him and he tried to make her happy by doing lots of things. oh well. she has been compared to the Princess Di in her time..

below is me at University of Vienna. Honestly... i though Toledo had a nice campus. but MAN!! this was gorgeous. (alot cooler than Luneburg!) oh yup... here is me shoving my face at some Eis Cafe, so yummyyy.... and here is St Stephans Dom, check out this weird tiled roof!!!! Then we went out for some traditional Vienna food... Wienershniztel!! yumm!!! Look how huge it was!!!! That is jane and Tony below (they were great and so much fun!!)

Spring break Part One

Welcome to my adventures in turkey!!
In turkey, they have delivery for macdonalds.... hahah but not on cars on vespas!!! haha only in europe. hahah

this is inside the Hiyga Sofya. (i explain more below)
Here is a picture of the grand bazaar... its filled with turkish men and their shops.... if you are lucky i might have purchased some cool stuff for you...
Holly and I took a Haman, which is a turkish bath. IT was so fun... it felt like in the olden days... haha like roman olden days... haha they put you in this marble room and we had to get our naked selves wet with water and a bucket from a well then Mamma Turk (as we like to call her) sets you up on this marble stone and rubs you down (exfoliation, then rinse and then massage) then she washed your hair. then we sat in the sauna until we had enough... it was so relaxing and fun!! haha
yes me pointing to asia...
this is asian (above) yeah... did you know that half of istanbul is in europe and the other half asia. this is a city we are talking about... straddling continents. haha its pretty neat.


Above is me in the Hagia Sofya. This was a grand church but the Sultan did not like it so he took over and covered all the mosics of chirst and things and covered them with the islamic writings and teachings. today some of the tiles have been uncovered and you can see the old church..



Istanbul was amazing. I loved Turkey. Here I am looking at the Bosphorus River . Not once did i ever feel threatened or unsafe.here i am at Topika Palace. and above is the Blue Mosque, we stayed in a hostel right behind this mosque and the center of the city. IT was perfect. At night and sometimes during the day you could hear the people praying in the mosque. Everyone was so helpful and friendly. The city was beauitiful... We had lots of turkish food, and candy and tea, we walked and saw this gorgeous city at night. I want to go back. but next time for a longer period of time. ah it was very good. Holly and I had a really fun time together. being hilarous. haha i guess thats what happens when you put two blondes together.... on to vienna.

had.a.blast.

will.update.in.a.day.or.two.with.many.many.pictures....

be.waiting.

post-midterm/final update... hah

i am doing good. this weekend i leave for turkey on sunday. ed's good. we have been having fun chililng in lueneburg. berlin was great, have you seen the pictures. i want to live there or atleast go back again. my mouth is so-so, not worse, but not better. ed wakes me up whenever i start to grind my teeth so i think today we are going to Hamburg to look for a sports store and buy a temporary mouth peice or something.

this morning ed and i are making my flatemates an american breakfast, with eggs and hasbrowns and cinnamin rolls. haha the german breakfast is like bread and thats it. haha it will be fun. ed and i also cooked for them yesterday too. I had a big midterm yesterday and a final today. the midterm was bullcrap. it was so hard and long. but whatever that class doesnt count towards anything, and i mean i didnt fail but who knows and i have stopped caring about that class. and then my final went fine today.

next week i am heading to turkey until wednesday and then on wednesday i fly from istanbul to vienna and its so cool how god works out things. as of tuesday day i had no where to stay in vienna and now the guy who leads my bible study has friends in vienna who are willing to let me stay with them! I am going to try and get tickets to an opera too while i am there. I wont be there for long because then I am heading to Wuerstburg in Barvria to visit my mom's co-teacher (at oldtrail) sister in law. weird i know, but it will be fun.

Today it is sunny. like real sunshine. its been forever since i have seen it and its wonderful.

On wednesday ed and i went to hamburg and we went to the Dialog in the Dark Museum. And its this museum where you are blind for an hour and half and you are guided through different scenerios (like through a forest, on a street, crossing a street, in a market, over a bridge, on a boat, in a cafe) and you have to be blind the whole time. its pitch black. it was scary at first but then i really liked it. You forget how much you take your eyesight for granted. I would really like to re-create something like that for my residents or something when i return home. then we went to my langauge partner fashion show. She is a model and it was alot of fun to see her! We were laughing and she too because the clothes she has to model are soo ugly, they are like old rich people clothes. ed and i were the youngest in the crowd of about 40 years. haha oh well. it was fun. My langauage partner is the red head.(below).

Today i think we might go to hamburg to Ikea!!! and go shopping (that way i can send some stuff back to the states with ed, because lord knows i wont have enough room!!).

I have no idea what to do for this summer, but I know that God has something up his sleeve....

Hows everything there??? whats new!!!

Berlin!!

berlin with ed was great. here is me and the WALL!! and catching rain on my toungue and playing...
in the Reichstag, also known as German's capital building. its gorgeous.
on our way to berlin. finally. haha flight drama...
me and the sony center...
infront of a something i cant remember
checkpoint charlie....




Berlin with ed was great.

I will update more later.

here is us at the brandenburg tor. :) we loved it here. and considering moving there... hahah maybe.. midterms, final, Hamburg fun and more this week... then spring break!! whoohOO!