Michigan in Fall

My gosh, fall came hard and fast this year! We barely got any typical late summer days where it's warm and sunny and the nights are crisp and cool. Instead, it went straight to COLD, day and night. Meh.

Not being a fan of cold and snowy winters, fall makes me melancholic and anxious. This summer really passed in a flash and the weather has pretty much been messed up since last winter. The only cure to the "fall blues": walks in the sunshine and admiring the beautiful fall foliage.

I really love our neighborhood! It's so cozy, quiet, and homey :)

PS: Speaking of Michigan, the Michigan Singalong (which I wrote about here) can still be viewed here: Pure Michigan Singalong. Go check it out!

Back on track

After a month of traveling and jet lag (6 hours plus, then 3 hours minus) I am working on getting back on track. My boyfriend and I have a few fun things planned, but none of them are multiple-days kind of plans. We're going to a Tigers game on Sunday, yay! We're hosting a Bavarian breakfast soon, (not healthy, but still) yay! We have a month-long CSA membership, so farm-fresh food to look forward to, yay!

Meanwhile, this is what is helping me feel good and healthy and not-jetlagged in my skin:

• eating raw! I'm not at 100%, but I am getting so much closer by including more and more 100% raw meals (for example Green Smoothies). Blog post to follow...
• getting back to yoga! The hot room is feeling goooood these days! It's challenging to get back to a regular practice in the humid summer months, but I am concentrating on breathing calmly and concentrating on my body only and it's working well :)
• cleaning, unpacking, making our home even more comfy!

I have noticed so many benefits from eating mostly raw already, even after just a few raw days in a row! It really is amazing. Combined with my Bikram yoga practice, the possibilities are endless! I feel like it is the fast-track to great health.

CSA for August

Yesterday we picked up the first of our weekly shares from a local farm. We are so excited! We have planned meals around most of the fresh veggies already.

So CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and we are trying it for the first time this August. I'm already liking it! After getting back from the farm (yes, the same farm where this stuff was grown) we made a little impromptu stir fry.

All ingredients were from our share (except for spices and olive oil). It tasted SO PHENOMENAL! Fresh and fruity and flavorful... so THIS is what real food tastes like ;) Yumm yumm!

May I introduce: Vitamix!

We have a new friend in the kitchen... the incredible Vitamix!

I have been making Green Smoothies for a while now with a regular blender and while it worked fine, it was a little too time consuming and brought the machine to its limits blending tough greens like kale (just didn't get smooth). After borrowing a Vitamix from a friend a few weeks ago, there was no going back, so when a small windfall came my way, you guessed what I went out to buy...

Now, I haven't tried yet, but I'm pretty sure the Vitamix can blend rocks to a smooth finish. You can make ice cream/sorbet with it. It is also so powerful that I can throw in all ingredients at the same time, blend for 30 secs and the smoothie is done, where with my old blender it was: add ingredients-blend-add ingredients-blend... and so on. Another plus: it holds twice as much (64 oz = 1.9 l) as my old blender. So all in all, it saves me a ton of time AND the smoothies come out much smoother.

I've already made soup and pasta sauce with the Vitamix and it's pretty awesome since it gets even raw carrots super smooth and you can run it for a few minutes and it will even heat up your soup! (Just from the friction of the blades, mind you!)

OK, I'm officially a fan-girl now haha!


PS: Yes, this really is the view from our kitchen window... So beautiful this time of the year!

Home Connection

It was hard to leave our new home for three weeks. Now that almost two weeks have passed, it's still hard... I'm ready to enjoy my last week in Germany a lot (no more work! lots of family time!) and get back home soon.

Meanwhile, I'll be snuggling with Lil' Turtle, while his momma Miss Turtle is hanging out at home with my boyfriend.

 

(Lil' Turtle is trying some good German food: Rahm-Schnitzel.)

You'll be united soon, my dear turtle friends! Promise!

Resolutions

When everybody around me seemed to be talking about New Year's Resolutions, I've started thinking back and I can honestly say that I've never made any before. When I though about it some more, I've come to realize that I probably never will make any, either. Not because I'm so perfect already (ha!), but because I'm a very self-reflective person. I think about and re-think my life/relationships/goals/yoga/nutrition/everything all. the. time. If a change is needed, it is implemented as soon as possible. I don't see a reason to wait for a new month/moon/year.

Recent plans/changes/resolutions or whatever-you-wanna-call-its:

• Green smoothies: drink as often as possible, at least one per day. (The challenge: having fresh ingredients at home, preparation time.)
• "3 days on, 1 day off" Bikram yoga schedule (The challenge: lack of time/funky work schedule, balancing quality time with myself and/or my partner.)
• read more (The challenge: same as with Bikram class.)
• cook more (The challenge: same as with green smoothies.)

Sooo, the common challenge seems to be time-related. All of these things are quite time consuming (what isn't, right?) and I have recently added 1.5 hrs driving time to my work days, sooo... Yes, I often have to prioritize and no, I have not been able to achieve all of those goals satisfactorily in the same week. But that's life or at least: that's my life. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, because ultimately, all those goals are supposed to make my life better and not more stressful than it already tends to be.

Maybe I should have added another major goal: balance.

Namaste :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, dear friends and readers! I hope you get to spend the holidays with your family and loved ones.

We will have a family dinner (BF's family) and then unwrap our presents tonight, on Christmas Eve, just like in Germany. Here in the USA most families seem to unwrap presents on Christmas day morning (December 25), but my boyfriend suggested we unwrap tonight, just like I'm used to from home <3

Hugs to All! Enjoy the holidays!

Full circle

It's my blog's first birthday today... Happy Birthday!

Photo from ABC Cakeshop & Bakery


These last few days have really felt like I've come full circle in the last year. It's winter again, just like when my journey started. I've been packing boxes again, just like I did a year ago. This year has been quite the ride, and it's been hard at times of course, but it's also been AWESOME! I am SO SO SO glad I took this job and opportunity to move across the ocean.

It's going to be my birthday soon, and then Christmas, so normally this would mean seeing my family and friends. But alas, not this year. This has definitely caused me some heartache. I have been away from home often, even as a child (boarding school), so I felt basically as prepared as one can feel before moving across the ocean to live on another continent. I had never been away for more than a year at a time though and now I can honestly say: I know what "homesick" feels like.

My new friends and friends who feel like family have been wonderful. I have really enjoyed having them around for holidays and special occasions, but... on occasion it makes me miss my family even more. Never fret though, as a trip to Germany is in the works. It will not happen before 2012, but oh well! I will enjoy the anticipation until then :)

Anyway, I am proud of myself and happy and grateful for all the new friends and old friends, and family, and supporters, and helpers I have had this past year.

♥ Thank you so much, All! ♥

Snow

Right on time, on the last day of November, we got our first real snow.



Hrml, not a fan :-/



The cool thing is, my baby car gets to stay in a garage now, so no more scraping or digging out in the mornings :)

It's time...

... to pack some boxes! Right on time, before the one year anniversary of my big move, I put in notice to vacate my apartment. I'm moving again :)

I am taking another step forward and moving in with my wonderful boyfriend, into a sweet house in a lovely town & neighborhood. I'm so excited!

Summer's last Hurrah (or: Fall in Michigan)

These past few days, we were blessed with gorgeous weather. (70 degF = 21 degC, for all metric unit lovers.) After the humid and hot summer, this felt like heaven.

Not only did it feel good, but the clear and sunny days and crisp nights turned the trees into a million different colors, all beautiful... look and see!

 

 

  
Across the magic lake...

Michigan from its best side <3

I'm walking...

This song has been on my mind a lot this week. Remember the Jetta vs. Pick-up truck story? I'm finally getting the body damage fixed and it was more extensive than it looks... which means I have been without a car since Monday and will get it back next Monday at the earliest... Luckily I live close to work, sooo... I'm walking :)

Pool

I finally made it to the pool at my apartment complex. It's a three minute walk from my apartment and it's free. Not sure why I haven't done this before... perfect place to chill after work :)

Update from the Magic Lake

Around one and a half months ago I showed you pictures of the new family of geese who lived on my magic lake. Time flies and here they are now... swimming like they've been doing this their whole lives ;)

Aww, so cute how the parents always frame them like that during swimming lessons <3

You didn't think I was gonna do it, did you?

Yep, I bought furniture!! ......... (I'm waiting for applause...)


During my trip to South Haven, MI, I finally found some furniture that I liked. American style furniture usually doesn't appeal to me... fake antique style... way overpriced... even my grandma would find it antiquated. The pieces that I found are actually old, made of nice wood, were obviously heavily used, and are definitely not from a chain store (and they were a steal, btw). Hurray! Thank you, lovely stores of South Haven, MI!

before:

after:

Good-bye, trusty moving box furniture!

Right in my backyard

Months ago, when I first moved here, people started telling me about this "nice park" that's apparently "right by [my] house"... I never made my way out that way, because the weather hasn't been that great and well, how nice of a park can it really be?

Ummmm, yeah...

It's pretty nice!!! And this is just a tiny part of the park. Can't wait to explore more of it :)

Magic Lake, Pt II

A good place to raise a family :)

Nail polish re-organization

Before: big mess!

After: Aaah, much better :)

The process was a tedious one though! After assembling this with my friend (thank you, friend!) I have a new appreciation for IKEA furniture design. This is not from IKEA and was quite complicated to assemble!

The instructions were 12 pages long!

Magic Lake

The lake in front of my balcony is a pretty one... and I'm not the only one who thinks so!

There's swans... and ducks, of course...

Water rats (although they're not really rats, not dirty, vegetarian, and really quite cute)... And remind me of Paderborn!

And huh? Is that a TURTLE?! I didn't know turtles could survive here, but apparently they can! Learn something new every day... I'm glad this little fella survived his hibernation and hangs out here with me now :)

I am on the lookout for more friends from the lake now... Personally, I expect to see a unicorn or two within the next couple of days!

More visitors

I got new neighbors today :) I wonder how long they will stick around for.

They brightened the otherwise gloomy day!

PS.: Spring, get here already!