Ich bin ein Berliner

Dress Up Day

2012-01-27T15:07:00.003-07:00

Look how cute this would be: Matching shoes for mom & daughter(s).

How to Make a Baby

2012-01-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

So true

2012-01-11T14:06:00.002-07:00

"A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me.

It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it."

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2012-01-09T15:09:00.002-07:00

Frohe Weihnachten

2011-12-24T14:01:00.003-07:00

Love the Show

2011-12-17T13:02:00.001-07:00

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...

2011-11-17T12:05:00.002-07:00

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Something Is....

2011-11-12T22:35:00.001-07:00

... calling my name.

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Laughed out Loud

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

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Brilliant

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

via

... just need an iPhone now ;). But definitely something I would get if I would have an iPhone.

...

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

via

4,242 Rubik's Cubes later

2011-11-07T19:02:00.003-07:00

via

“Artist and designer Pete Fecteau spent the better part of 2010 creating a mosaic of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. using 4,242 Rubik’s Cubes. The mosaic measures 18’6″ by 9’8″ and weighs approximately 1,000 pounds. This project called Dream Big.”

Double D

2011-11-01T11:37:00.004-06:00

If you happen to be in Berlin & are looking for the perfect Bra (for larger cup sizes), your search will come to an end. Visit my best friend Jenny & her newly opened store. You will be amazed!

Check out her website DoppelD.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T10:37:00.003-06:00

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Beautiful

2011-10-24T10:49:00.004-06:00

Remember this light fixture? Looks like someone found a friend.

source

...

2011-10-16T13:19:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday

2011-10-08T11:12:00.000-06:00

... to my dear husband!

And this is so true. We sometimes forget, it's a special day for mom & dad too.

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Save the date &

2011-09-29T20:38:00.003-06:00

... help support the ongoing research in finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis by attending the IIDA Fashion Remix event this coming April.

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2011-09-25T19:56:00.002-06:00

Love It...

2011-09-16T21:32:00.004-06:00

Little niece Lea with her mom on the German beach of Usedom.

...

2011-09-11T11:21:00.001-06:00

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Love...

2011-09-03T17:43:00.004-06:00

... comes with a hefty price tag sometimes. $750. Can someone make it a little (lot) more affordable please?

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Clever

2011-08-29T20:46:00.001-06:00

via

...

2011-08-27T13:53:00.002-06:00

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so excited

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Best Birthday Gift

2011-08-17T13:02:00.004-06:00

Look how fast time flies:

then - 2010

now - 2011

Gotta love traveling...

2011-08-08T08:00:00.002-06:00

That's how we role

2011-08-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

NeoCon fun

2011-06-17T22:11:00.003-06:00

What an amazing experience...

Too Cute

2011-05-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

?

2011-05-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

What's wrong with this picture?

The Other Day...

2011-05-14T16:58:00.001-06:00

... an unplanned family reunion happened spontaneous and put a big smile on my face.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:44:00.004-06:00

To the best mom in the world.

Parks & Rec

2011-04-30T11:13:00.001-06:00

... my favorite part from last episode.

'Serts are what I call desserts.
Tre-tre's are entrees.
I call sandwiches sammies, sandoozles, or adamsandlers.
Air conditioners are cool blasterz with a "z." I don't know where that came from.
I call cakes big ole' cookies.
I call noodles long-ass rice.
Fried chicken is fry-fry chicky-chick.
Chicken parm is chicky-chicky parm-parm.
Chicken cacciatore... chicky catch.
I call eggs pre-birds... or future birds.
Root beer is super water.
Tortillas are bean blankies.
And I call forks food rakes.

Wishing Everyone...

2011-04-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

... a happy Easter weekend!

And The All-Around Winner is...

2011-04-09T10:36:00.003-06:00

Germany's Elisabeth Seitz won silver in the All Around Competition. The first medal for Germany after 1985!

Congratulations to everyone.

European Championships

2011-04-02T20:26:00.005-06:00

... starting this Monday (04/04) in Berlin/ Germany! Can't wait & crossing my fingers for team Germany.

Watch the emotional trailer below:

Too long emails?

2011-03-30T19:26:00.003-06:00

Why Long Emails Suck (Note: It depends on who is the sender.)

A few brief reasons:

It takes too long to read. I don’t have a lot of time to read, and by sending me an essay you are saying your email is more important than the other things I have to read.
It doesn’t respect my time. When you send me an email, you’re making a request on my time (to read, process, respond). If you send a long email, you haven’t edited. You haven’t decided what’s most important. You are saying, in effect, that I have to do that instead. You’re sending a message that your time is more important than mine.
You don’t get to the point. What’s the main point you’re trying to make? What’s your main question? Spit it out, or it will get buried.
You ask too many questions. I won’t be able to answer all of them without half an hour of my valuable day. So don’t ask so many — just ask one or two.
I won’t respond. If you’re looking for me to read the email right away, or worse yet, do something for you, good luck with that. I’m not a diva, but I also have things to do and can’t get to every long email. And there are many of them, not just yours.

source and more

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2011-03-23T10:35:00.000-06:00

Did I say 2,500?

2011-03-13T17:00:00.001-06:00

It actually ended up being 4,422 photos combined. So you can imagine it will take me a while to go through them & pick my favorite ones. But here is a start:

Day 1, 2 & 3: Travel/ Iguazzu (Argentina)

After a long day of travel, we made it to Buenos Aires & had a domestic flight to Iguazzu. Little did I know what to expect. Forget the Niagara Falls, this is the place to go!!! It was breath taking. Seeing such enormity & power in one place. Incredible. Be sure, to see the falls from the Brazilian side first (to get a great panoramic overview) & then head over to the Argentine side for the close up.

Three Nations Corner

Day 4 & 5: Buenos Aires (Argentina)

After a rough start, things turned around & we were able to enjoy our stay. Two words that come to mind when thinking of Argentina: Soccer & Tango. So, we did both & weren't disappointed one little bit.

Sightseeing

Dancing the Tango w/ my dad

La Boca - so fun to see all these bold colored houses. Loved it.

Soccer Legend Diego Maradona

Day 6: Montevideo (Uruguay)

This is their recycling system. Very sad to see though. Families & their kids sort through garbage in the city. But overall, the city was kept relatively clean. Depending on what area you were in.

And yes, I found a MINI

Food market

Mate Tea in Coco nut shells are a traditional drink in South America & passed on from generation to generation. People were running around with these everywhere. Just like your coffee here in the states.

First World Cup Game was held in Uruguay in 1930. Uruguay played against Argentina in the Final & won.

Day 7: Montevideo (Urugay)
Due to some itinerary changes because of high water level, we ended up with two days in Montevideo & used the second day to do a bike tour to enjoy the weather & scenery.

We had our personal police escort on a motorcycle bike & felt very special. Roads got blocked & cars stopped. Just for us.
So I had to get a photo with the nice law-enforcement man.

Cemetary

Typically German break with beer

What's a bike-sightseeing- tour without seeing the German Embassy?

Day 8: Punta Del Este (Urugay)
Still no Dan yet. He was laying in bed with high fever & didn't see much for the first week.

...

2011-02-19T13:19:00.002-07:00

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My Valentine

2011-02-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are back...

2011-02-06T19:44:00.004-07:00

... well, still trying to adjust to the cold weather, time change and daily routine.

We are still in the process of catching up and getting organized, but here is a little teaser - from one of the over 2,500 images we took (my dad & mine combined).

Amazing view from the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro ... I want to go back.

...

2011-02-05T22:36:00.002-07:00

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That's how we roll

2011-01-05T19:13:00.003-07:00

Yes, it was Xmas time and yes, we did dress up like it was Halloween. Don't ask me why. Just enjoy the photos.

University

2010-12-31T01:11:00.006-07:00

... in Munich. Just hop on a slide to get from the upper level to the lower.

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All moved in

2010-12-20T20:55:00.004-07:00

Well, it has been just barely a little over a week in our new house, but it feels like we have been living here much longer already.

A lot is still to be unpacked, built, bought and organized. Slowly but surely we will get there and make it our home.

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Just in Time...

2010-12-19T15:32:00.003-07:00

... for Xmas. Head over to Paislee Press' blog & leave a comment for this wonderful giveaway from "Totally Rad Photoshop Actions".

I'm crossing my fingers.

Wooden Rings

2010-12-19T11:47:00.004-07:00

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?

2010-12-19T11:05:00.004-07:00

Oh, why so sad?

Much better...

Progress

2010-12-10T12:59:00.002-07:00

... or?

...

2010-12-05T21:36:00.002-07:00

Commit yourself.

Tell the truth.

Trust yourself.

Pain ends and so does everything else.

Laugh easily.

Cry easily.

Have patience.

Be willing to be vulnerable.

When you notice that you are clinging to anything and it's causing trouble, drop it.

Be willing to fail.

Don't let fear stop you from leaping into the unknown or from sitting in dark silence.

Remember that everything gets lost, stolen, ruined, worn out, or broken; bodies sag and wrinkle; everyone suffers; and everyone dies.

No act of love is ever wasted.

-Geneen Roth-

Packing

2010-12-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

This is Dan's way of packing....

...

2010-12-04T22:18:00.002-07:00

Including me: Packing and moving.

Wouldn't want...

2010-11-29T18:40:00.002-07:00

... to be on that hill driving.

...

2010-11-16T22:40:00.003-07:00

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Say What!?

2010-11-13T17:05:00.002-07:00

Look who just turned 1! Happy birthday to my little sunshine.

Growing up so fast.

I'm on a roll

2010-11-03T21:27:00.003-06:00

check out these unbelievable (crazy) people....

Those are moments

2010-11-03T21:17:00.003-06:00

... when you ask yourself: "Why didn't I think of this?"

Source

Brilliant!

Not sure....

2010-11-03T21:09:00.002-06:00

... why you would need this. But just in case you want to see something REALLY big - there you go.

(PS.: Yes, the floor is damn squeaky and those guys speak German - no subtitles for me.)

And then there was light

2010-10-27T21:07:00.003-06:00

So pretty.

Smalltown

LamIdea

VACATION

2010-10-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

Some long needed days off waited for us at the end of July. Dan's family invited us to a one week Caribbean Cruise and I can't tell you how much fun we had.

And little did I know (or anyone else know) what my parents had planned as well.

Look who was pretending of sending an email from "home"...

... while we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the hotel.

Checked in & ...
... toured the ship.

After we were finally able to go to our rooms and settled down, I hear this knock on our door. Well, I go and open it and in front of me stands the houskeeping lady letting me know she is the person to go to, in case we need anything. Very good. As she is turning around to leave and I'm about to close the door, guess who steps in front of me?

My parents! I was in total shock. Not knowing where I was, or what was happening that moment. I immediately started crying - I was so overwhelmed and couldn't believe they stood in front of me. I was speechless and still to this moment, I'm still in disbelieve what happened. And every time I replay that moment in my head, tears of joy come to my eyes and I just want to relive the excitement over and over again. What a surprise. And no one knew about it. Not Dan, not his parents nor his siblings. It was a complete surprise for everyone. And all that time prior to the cruise, nothing leaked out of them, not one single time. Very impressive. I think this is the ultimate surprise one could have.

Well, they figured because of my upcoming 30th birthday, they wanted to surprise me big time and make this one, the birthday I would never forget.

Now, both of our families were together and we could start our family vacation.

Day 1:

to be continued...

Sushi

2010-10-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

A while back (which all my following posts will be, since I'm finally & slowly catching up now), we had the pleasure of learning how to make Sushi. The Scranton Products rep invited us to the Naked Fish and we got the inside scoop of what makes great Sushi. The entire process wasn't too hard, once we figured it out and in the end, we all had a tone of Sushi to eat. Yummy!

...

2010-10-24T14:40:00.001-06:00

via

This might be...

2010-10-24T08:00:00.002-06:00

... the BEST invention ever! I don't think the world has seen any better snack than this.

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A while back...

2010-10-23T18:41:00.005-06:00

Mel & Bobby came to visit and besides a great dinner at Squatters (with Ben & Deidra), we had to do our infamous Deep dish cookie, which was gone in 5 min & delicious as always!

...

2010-10-23T13:15:00.002-06:00

New Family Member

2010-09-15T20:25:00.008-06:00

Never disappoints to impress. Please welcome the new 4-door MINI Countryman.

Balloon Festival

2010-09-12T21:51:00.003-06:00

On August 7th, we got up way early to watch the hot air balloons rise in the sky with the rising sun in Sandy. Unfortunately, the weather was too warm too early and the wind started getting stronger and stronger, which put a halt on the take off of any balloon. However, we got to see quite the show of different colorful balloons and watch the preparation and take down process.

Red Butte Garden

2010-09-04T18:47:00.004-06:00

Every year I look forward to the artists list that are going to perform at the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series. This year, Dan and I went to see Brandi Carlile.

This one is my favorite:

I love it. It seams to fit with my 30th theme.

Tickets On Sale

2010-08-25T11:25:00.004-06:00

IIDA's most anticipated event of the year - Fashion Remix - is just around the corner. October 21st @ 6pm is the big day and tickets just went on sale this week.

Proceed for the event will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in the ongoing research for better treatment and one day hopefully a cure.

Please support the event and spread the word.

If you are interested in tickets let me know.

$30 Regular

$100 VIP (incl. early entrance, VIP seating, VIP food & VIP beverages)

$15 students

Hurry and save your tickets early. Last year's event sold out and ticket prices will increase $10 each on Sept. 6th.

For more info about the event browse through here.

Thanks!

Oh Canada

2010-08-16T20:15:00.009-06:00

I was the lucky one that got to go to the Barbican Lighting factory in Canada. What a neat experience. We were taken care of like rock stars. Our hotel was a short walk away from the Niagara Falls and the group was such a great & fun bunch of talented individuals.

Highlight of the trip was watching the firework over the falls and manipulating the giant lights, which illuminated the American & Canadian Falls in different colors.... priceless.

This was my attempt in changing the colors to the German flag (on the Canadian Falls).

Chocolate love affair

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2010-08-15T17:58:00.001-06:00

Source

20.07. (2007)

2010-08-15T10:07:00.003-06:00

How could you forget this date? Well, my husband did. I told him he only gets one time :). I didn't blame him, since things around here were hectic and we were focused on getting everything ready for our vacation. But he definitely made up for it when he surprised me at work with those beautiful roses and took me to lunch. Oh, what a happy ending :)

To many more happy years...

Very Creative

2010-08-14T09:07:00.002-06:00

Check out this creative mom, taking pictures of her baby while sleeping.

Catching Up

2010-08-14T07:50:00.007-06:00

Looks like our camping trip is the first thing to catch up to. We went before the 4th of July weekend in order to avoid the crowd. It has been about 10 years for both of us since we went camping the last time. And after all our practicing on how to put up the tent, we forgot the instructions at home. Luckily, it wasn't too long ago that our old memories still remembered.

All in all, had a great time with our friends. We went to a cave, played cards and badminton, went boating and cooked some good food.

Coming back home, I got not only 1 but 4 (!) cold sores. Must have been the weather change and all the sun we got. That's the prize you pay to have fun I guess.

It's been a while

2010-08-10T21:20:00.003-06:00

... i know. Too many things happening at once and no time to catch up. Hope to post some more pictures from the last events soon.

source

Does anyone have $20,000?

2010-07-23T07:34:00.003-06:00

... because that's what it takes to own this beauty of a Fossball table. Anyone? I let you play too :)

To be purchased here

Super "G"

2010-07-11T11:17:00.004-06:00

If you are familiar with the judging system in gymnastics, you know that every element has a letter assigned to it, depending on its difficulty. 'A' being the easiest and (so far) 'G' the hardest. And believe you me, there are not a lot of people performing a 'G' element. Most of the routines include A-D or E elements. Everything beyond that is very unusual.

At this point there are only 3 'G' elements on the floor. One was done by Nastia Liukin's dad Valeri in 1987: tripple back tuck salto. Watch it here.

The other 'G' element is done by Germany's Marcel Nguyen: Tripple Tsukahara.

And now, there has been another Super 'G' element added to the Code de Pointage by Matthias Fahrig. The "Fahrig" - which is a douple-twist piked with a 1.5 twist at the end. Impossible to believe if you don't see it for yourself. Watch here. Oh, and did I mention, he's German? ;)

Source

PS: Safety note: Don't try this at home.

4th of July

2010-07-11T11:03:00.003-06:00

Times flies and the long holiday weekend is already history again. I got a couple pictures though to follow up.

First, last Saturday fireworks at the Park. Since traffic was in sane afterwards, we decided to go the theaters and watch a movie while the traffic dissolved itself after we finished the movie. It saved us a lot of headaches.

Camping trip pictures will follow soon as well.

Congratulations

2010-07-11T10:57:00.002-06:00

... to the German team & placing 3rd at the World Cup. Although they didn't make it to the final this time, they did leave the competition with a win & much hope for the next World Cup in 4 years in Brazil.

source

Netherlands vs Spain is going to be playing in the final soon. Who do you think is going to win it all? Either way, it's going to be a first title for one of them. What better ending?

Have I been watching?

2010-07-03T10:11:00.002-06:00

Hell ya, I am watching the World Cup! And what a great game today. Argentina didn't stand a chance. 4:0

Source

And look who else is watching. Little Miss Lea. This was from an earlier game though.

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2010-07-02T21:03:00.001-06:00

source

Toy Story

2010-06-26T23:39:00.005-06:00

What better weekend than a weekend full of new toys? We finally got around and loaded ourselves with camping gear. Of course we had to try it all out right away and we managed to put it all together and back according to the instructions.

Time to rest now

Toy Story 2

2010-06-26T23:00:00.000-06:00

One more "toy" that was very much over due arrived today as well and I could have not been more excited to do laundry than ever before.

3 weeks without this lovely helper and a run to the Laundromat are not without headaches. So here it is, in it's full glory and it has already been put to work.

Working Hard

2010-06-26T22:45:00.009-06:00

The other day we got this great invitation to go Go-Kart racing at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele and we couldn't resist and say no. It was such a fun change from our daily work routine.

versatile

2010-06-23T20:48:00.003-06:00

I love it, when you find something that can be used in many different ways.

Molla Space

...

2010-06-23T20:15:00.003-06:00

The most amazing

2010-06-17T22:26:00.004-06:00

... and heartbreaking father son story ever. Take a few minutes and read this * incredible story of Phillip and his deep love and relationship with his father. It makes you really think about life and appreciate every minute you spend with your family.

*Click on the images to get to the next.

...

2010-06-15T21:24:00.002-06:00

source

10.10.10

2010-06-13T22:06:00.004-06:00

... is approaching rapidly. "One day on earth" is a project for this particular day and you should take a look at this. It may inspire you to participate in capturing the "diversity of life and culture on this planet".

very creative

2010-06-13T21:59:00.004-06:00

... photographer. Check out more from Tim MacPherson here.

...

2010-06-11T16:35:00.003-06:00

yes

we are grandparents

2010-06-06T00:06:00.005-06:00

.... our little robin's nest got crowed in a hurry. Not sure what happened to the fourth egg, it's kind of hard defining the little ones, but there might be only three hatchlings. It's kind of funny to watch how their bodies are so out of proportion at this stage: big head with giant eyes, long skinny neck and tiny body. Their heads swing around in the need of food and collapse on top of each other.

Welcome to the world little ones.

growing so fast

2010-06-06T00:03:00.003-06:00

I can't believe how much my little sunshine has changed. Getting big so fast.

Kick it

2010-06-01T18:24:00.003-06:00

... with the world cup around the corner. An advertising school in the Netherlands came up with this clever idea for their Dutch fans. Brilliant!

Who do you think is going to take home the title this year?

Eurovision's winner is

2010-05-29T17:43:00.008-06:00

.... Germany's Lena with her "Satellite" song.

Lena (only 19 years old) received 246 points (50% judges & 50% audience votes), followed by Turkey with 170 points & Romania with 162 points.

It has only been the second time for Germany to win (besides 1982) the Eurovision competition.

Official Website

Robins Nest

2010-05-29T14:42:00.003-06:00

It's been very exciting to follow the process of this little Robin. Starting to build her own nest and now, seeing these beautiful turquoise eggs in them. I can't wait to snap some pictures of the babies birds. Stay tuned.

Ja das stimmt

2010-05-24T23:48:00.004-06:00

Thanks Jenny. I take it it's not only for the boys.

We are everywhere

2010-05-21T19:18:00.003-06:00

... look what I spotted the other day. Good thing I always have my camera ready.
Great idea, which I might HAVE to copy. Find out where Leipzig is here.