What an evil bitch of a month January was!

The following is a mix of nightmares that happened just between me, Guido and our circle of friends & family:

Ear infections, colds, broken ribs, injured hips, falling off the roof, being hospitalized for weeks, emergency dental appointments, financial crises, friends and mothers dying…and those shitty events are just rolling off the top of my head!

When I think of what happened in Haiti and other natural disasters which January claimed, I become numb and I hear the “Twilight Zone” theme song playing.

February has me paranoid. Hopefully the 28 days will pass by quietly, and if anything bad does happen, that we will be too busy to notice. New apartment and German driver license are next on the list.

I can’t end this post without sharing a positive free-bee that January farted out in her sleep:

- for my birthday, Guido took me out for a fun and memorable evening and night in Köln – we partied at Trash-Chic, an awesome vegan punk bar which will soon be visited again.

Q1

Get German driver license (before March)

Move into and set-up new apartment (March-?)

Q2

Clarify the legalities of getting married (April)

Host an “Opening Day Red Sox Baseball 101 for Germans” party (April)

Find a local place to volunteer (May)

Q3

Advertise for and host my first German vegan potluck

Sign up for an evening course

Q4

Take a winter vacation to a different region (like Norway)

All Year

Search for and buy ethically and environmentally responsible wedding rings (before Dec)

Travel less for work

Not bring my laptop home as much as possible

Try out and continue to impress people with more vegan recipes

Gather wedding locations and ideas (all year and maybe even next, until the perfect is found)

- and -

I hope to spend some time preparing for visitors from the US! You know who you are ;) and you know you are welcome anytime!

I will update this page with my progress and as I face challenges. Let’s see how far I (we) get!