happy girl

I successfully made it through my first solo international flight! I actually slept through almost the entire long part from DC to Frankfurt. I took a sleeping pill when I boarded and the boarding process for international flights takes so long that by the time we took off I was fast asleep.  I sat next to a nice lady from Portugal who was heading there to visit her family but after chatting with her for awhile during boarding, I put in earplugs and put on my sleep mask and got in a great snooze! I missed the dinner that was served, but considering the flight took off at 10:00 pm, I was not too worried about eating and was really happy to fall into a blissful slumber.

When I arrived in Frankfurt I had to go through security again which was a pain because there were LOTS of people and they only had one line operating. It took a really long time, but I had over an hour before the next flight so it was no big deal. That flight ended up being a bit delayed, but it was pretty empty so there wasn't anyone sitting next to me or even around me at all. The flight from Frankfurt to Nuremberg is only about 40 minutes or so, but I got in another nice rest. I took a cab home because Mr. Sneaker was at work and my friend Jilly met me at home since I didn't have a key with me and she has our extra. Mr. Sneaker asked her to come over to let me in and it was nice to have her there to greet me. My wonderful husband did all of his laundry while I was away, but the apartment was not exactly neat and tidy, so Jill helped me change the sheets and make the bed and then she volunteered to vacuum while I put his clothes away and unpacked my suitcase as well. I have been living out of a suitcase for long enough and I felt the urge to get everything (including all the new purchases) organized and put away. It is so hot here I was dripping in sweat when I was done and took an icy shower to cool off! Then we met up with another friend for dinner at the Mexican restaurant near the school we all worked at. After dinner I came home to find my favorite guy and I am so happy to be back with him!

After being away from home for 2.5 weeks, I am definitely ready to get back to a regular workout routine. I feel out of shape and I miss vegetables. I definitely ate my fair share of veges from my dad's garden in CT, but other than that they were lacking in my vacation diet! After indulging in cupcakes at two amazing cupcake places in DC with my bff, I am swearing off sugar for the rest of the summer and starting tomorrow I am seriously going to try and kick the soda habit as well. (Wish me luck!).

I didn't take a ton of photos during my trip to the US, but I definitely took some cupcake shots...

First stop Hello Cupcake

peanut butter blossom

dulce de leche

next stop Georgetown Cupcake

 Peanut Butter Fudge

(fudge was in the middle!)

carrot

(Not as good as the Pennsylvania Dutch carrot cake my mama gets in Lancaster)

We preferred the cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake but the fact that we had to wait in line (outside on a 90º + day) with about 40 other people probably made them seem that much more desirable. 

My bff Cristina and me

 boo for blurry pictures, but I was using my old camera as our newer one is getting replaced bc it broke

Maybe someday I will have a cupcake shop of my own! 

My creations aren't half bad

 and both of these batches (chocolate with peanut butter cream frosting and vanilla with vanilla butter cream frosting) came out pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself!

  

What is your favorite kind of cupcake??

I have the feeling I will sleep nice and late tomorrow because Germany is 6 hours ahead of CT and D.C., but I really hope to go through all of the pages I tore from the Instructor magazines that I read on vacation and put together some good teacher posts! Stay tuned!! Hopefully I won't melt in the process because it is HOT and Germany does not have air conditioning!!

Home again home again

Tonight I am flying back to Germany and I can't wait to see Mr. Sneaker and my friend Jilly! Hopefully I will sleep through most of the flight so it will go by quickly. This will be my first time ever flying alone internationally and I am not super pumped about it, but at least I have weighed my bags in advance this time and they seem to be okay. My larger bag is pretty close to 50 pounds but according to the scale here it is slightly under.

I have had the most wonderful visit with my bff but it will be nice to be home again because I have been traveling and living out of a suitcase for 2.5 weeks now!

pics with Mom and Dad at home in CT

Hopefully some teachery posts will resume this week!

Deal

Yesterday my bff and I went shopping at the outlets in Leesburg, VA. 

I found this adorable cherry red baby at Coach.

50% off

plus an additional 20% from the coupon that was given to me when I walked in

It looks huge in this picture, but it's a regular sized purse not a tote bag. 

LOVE IT!

and what a deal!

We are off to a wedding today ( friends of my bff and her hubs) then we are going to

chill & relax

PS Happy wedding day to Kelly!

D.C with my BFF!

Tonight I said goodbye to Mom and Dad and flew to Washington D.C. to stay with my best friend until Sunday. We met at Villanova when we were placed together as roommates freshman year. We became super close, did everything together, and ended up living together all four years in college. Although we live far apart now, we try to skype every Sunday and we are still bff's! I am so excited to spend the next few days with her!

I mentioned in another post how much shopping I have been doing and my bag ended up being 9 pounds overweight. I did not want to pay the $100 fee nor did I want to ditch things at the airport, so I was thanking my lucky stars for the ginormous purse my mother in law got me for my birthday. I was able to remove a few key items from my luggage that was going to get checked and thankfully they fit inside my purse and the carry on bag I had with me. I also took my sneakers out and put them on and put my sandals in my purse. I absolutely love traveling with Mr. Sneaker because he has status on United which gets us some additional baggage weight allowance in addition to some other perks. I am not such a fan of traveling by myself with megga luggage, but at this point I just have one leg of the trip left to do alone. While I was waiting for boarding time I caught up on my Instructor magazines, so the plan is to do some good 'ol teacher posts once I return to Germany. I was still trying to lighten my load so I ripped out several pages that had interesting stuff I wanted to remember and chucked the rest of the magazines at the airport.

The flight from NY to DC is only about an hour (maybe less) so it was quite enjoyable. The plane was very small since it's just a hopper, but the flight went by so fast compared to the 11 hour flight from Germany. I listened to some old mixes on my iPod including a mix of songs that were played at my wedding. It amazes me how songs can be so incredibly linked to memories and emotions. I was totally tearing up listening to our first dance song and picturing our wedding day. I started thinking about how my husband and I will be apart while I am in Portland this school year and I know I will miss him so much. I have to leave 3 days before our third wedding anniversary so listening to our song was happy and sad at the same time. When I got to the song I dance to with my dad I could only listen to the first verse because I was getting really choked up! I felt like a total weirdo so I had to switch to some more upbeat musical stylings!

Although I have spent a good part of the past week shopping with my mama, my best friend and I have some more in store! We are going to the outlets tomorrow and I am excited! I can't buy too much due to my already heavy baggage, but I did have a few things in my bag that were gifts for her so I figure I have a few spare pounds!?


I am so disappointed in my lack of pictures from my trip so far, but I did get a few when I was messing around with my photobooth.

two of my mom's siamese babies (she has four!)

I think these two are Phoebe and Oliver but it's hard to tell since the picture isn't great.

Picture from the wedding we attended on Saturday

 

When we got to the hotel I realized that my camera battery had died and I left the charger at home. Bummer! I always like to get pictures when we are all dressed up, but luckily someone else got a shot of us and she emailed it to me.

We also took a few pics with my mom's camera right before I left thank goodness!

It is so late and I need to get to bed, but I also want to share that I got a $25 giftcard from Donorschoose in the mail for my birthday. If any of you currently have unfulfilled project proposals  (or know of someone else who has one) please send me the link since the giftcard allows me to donate that amount to a project of my choice!

Head of the Class

Last night my mom and I watched the movie Front of the Class which she recorded ages ago. It was based on a true story and the book with the same title. Her friend recommended it to me since it's about a teacher and my thoughtful mom recorded it and saved it all these months until I was home to watch it with her.

The story is about a teacher who has Tourette's Syndrome and his journey to overcome obstacles he faced because of his disability in order to obtain a teaching job. I really liked this film and thought it did a very good job shedding light on what Tourette's Syndrome is, showing a positive role model of someone who does not let his disability "win," and also highlighting how accepting children can be if they are educated about something. Throughout the film, the main character Brad  was always open and honest about his disability and welcomed questions from his interviewers and his students. Both my mom and I cried during the film, so if you can track it down or read the book bring your tissues! It is based on a true story and it's definitely a story of perseverance worth knowing.

If I didn't make you interested, here is some more info from the national tourette sydnrome association:

Front of the Class (published in September 2005) is an inspiring
true story of incredible challenges and unwavering determination.
As a child with Tourette Syndrome, Brad was beaten, mocked
and shunned. Some thought he was possessed by the devil.
Others, including members of his own family, refused to be seen
with him in public. As an adult, Brad overcame all odds to become
an award-winning teacher of the year for the state of Georgia.

Brad is an inspiration in overcoming life’s challenges. Nothing, not even Tourette Syndrome, stops him from pursuing—and achieving—his goals.

I have also seen Toy Story 3 (LOVED it and definitely bring your tissues), Eclipse, and When in Rome. Now that Mom and Dad have hit the sack, I am tuning into the Bachelorette. I caught the end of Chris Harrison's interview with Jake and Vienna about their breakup and it was intense! Did you see it?? Jake definitely seemed like a very different person and not in a good way. I was never a huge fan of Vienna, yet she seemed truly hurt and upset by his actions and he seemed cold and cruel! I didn't really think their relationship would last, but it's crazy that they are having such a nasty breakup and that they would agree to do an interview and then fight on screen! 

Shopping!

My mom and I had a very full day shopping at the outlets and it was so much fun! I have obtained lots of new shoes since being in the US and I absolutely love getting some new items and putting together some back to school outfits! My mom and I don't get to shop together that often so when we do we go all out and have lots of fun. We found some really good sales and got some excellent deals!

I always wear flats when I teach and lately I have been finding SO many cute options!!

which ones are you fav?

(obviously this needs a good iron!)

I always start the school year thinking I will dress a lot fancier than I end up dressing once the novelty of the new year/new class wears off...I would love to wear dresses and skirts all the time but usually pants end up being more practical for the criss cross applesauce stuff.The weather has been so hot lately though so dresses and skirts are a big part of my summer wardrobe because they are more comfortable (for me) than shorts. 

I am not a super fan of shorts. 

I also got this very cute bag from J.Crew to use when I go workout. I always tote along water, a towel, my ipod, and a book, so I thought this would make the perfect gym bag!

On Thursday I am going to VA to visit my best friend who was my roommate all four years of college. We are also shopping buddies, so I look forward to hanging out with her and frequenting some different malls. I barely shop at all in Germany so it's fun to do it while I am visiting here.