speedy update

Ok so I suck at blogging and keeping people updated. And for those of you who know me we already knew this right? But I’m always aiming to get better and for those of you who really know me you know I’m a (slow) work in progress. With that said, my friends Laura, Leah and I have been loving this website called Thought Catalog. It’s basically a collection of blogs from people in their twenties and weekly they shed light on things funny to people in their twenties. Many of the blogs are conducted in lists. And after Laura’s blog of “lists” (if you haven’t read it you should, she is brilliant), I have been inspired to update my blog in list form, bringing you up to date on the happenings in my German life. So now a much over due list, from oldest to most recent… 1. Laura sings in mass -My friend Laura is an insanely gifted singer. She studied Vocal Performance at Chapman and has joined a choir here in Munich. She invited me to come listen to her sing for Sunday mass in Peterskirche. You can walk to the top of the tower of Peterskirche and its nicknamed Alter Peter. Being the oldest church in Munich (built in the 13th century), Alter Peter is totally one of the most important churches in Munich, located right in Marienplatz so I was stoked to go. And I’m not Catholic, but I do live in the Holy Roman Empire so I thought it would be an experience. The process of the Catholic mass was like watching a play, and Laura was totally important during the process I was so impressed, with her going back and forth with the priest. 2. Mom and Meg visit -Mommy and Meg came to visit during mom’s spring break. During this time I was staying in Neuhaus with my host family, where they have a vacation home. Mom and Meg stayed in Bad Tölz, which is about 25 minutes away from Neuhaus but it worked out great and it was such a relaxing week. When I had to be with the kids, mom and Meg hung around cute little Tölz and spent time with old friends. One afternoon we took the cable car but Wendelstein Mountain, which is very close to Neuhaus. I think it’s about 1800 meters high, and the view from the top is insane with a panoramic view of the Alps. 3. Easter Day in Salzburg -Mommy and Meggie left the Saturday before Easter, and after goodbyes and many tears I had Saturday evening and Sunday to relax. Sunday morning I got up and took the train to Salzburg. It’s a quick trip (for changing countries), only about an hour and a half. You can easily sleep, read or sightsee on the train so it’s really a pleasant ride. Laura and I arrived within about 10 minutes of each other, pretty amazing considering she was coming from Vienna. The train systems are amazing. Laura had done her research so straight away we headed to mass at the Salzburger Dom Cathedral, to get holy with the cardinal. The rest of the day was spent romping around sweet little Salzburg. 4. Family Dunn visit -If anything on the list deserves a separate entry it would be the Dunns epic visit. I have to admit, I was nervous. I did not know what to expect and I wanted everything to go perfectly. But it ended up going much better than I had ever expected. Only one time when there was ketchup near the fries did we have actual stress. In about 10 days a lot got done, and luckily I was able to be in good part of it. On Saturday we drove to Garmisch for the day to visit Linderhoff Castle, the Winter Olympic grounds, and a walk through the town. 5. Fruhlings Fest -Germans can drink, and Germans can party. This we already know. So yet another festival is upon us. First Oktoberfest, then Starkbierfest and now it’s Fruhlings Fest. (Fruhlings means spring auf Deutsch.) It’s a mini Oktoberfest, held in the small place at Theresienwiese. And its wonderful and that’s about it. Daniel, Laura and I went the other night. Each had a mass and split a whole chicken in the Hippodrom beer tent, probably the most popular beer tent during Oktoberfest. 6. Weather -The weather has taken a turn for gorgeous. And the Englishgartens are flocked with half naked people in the sunshine, and suddenly I feel more at home. There has been sunbathing, volleyball, and Frisbee at a constant rate since the sun has shown its beautiful self.