A no good very bad day...

That is what today was. I'm so glad that its over!

Why Gay Men Are Awesome!

I was thinking today about the relationships that I have had with men… I was thinking about this because this guy that I had a crush on my freshman year in high school turned out to be gay. I liked this guy more than the guy I was dating at the time. I actually secretly wished that I was dating him instead of my then boyfriend. I found out my freshman year of college that he was gay. I love gay men. In fact, the best relationships that I have ever had are with gay men. My soul mate is a gay man… Sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me. I find that when a guy is straight I am not as able to build a relationship with him. Its superficial and most of the time, there is either sexual tension or the relationship is totally based off of sex. With gay men, there is no sexual tension because neither of us wants to have sex with each other. That’s my favorite about relationships with gay men. It’s less complicated, more intimate... At least for me it is. Michael and I for example, have the perfect relationship. We love each other, we talk about everything, we like the same stuff, we have tons in common, we are honest with each other even when its not comfortable, and we’d rather be with each other than be apart. That’s what a soul mate is right? Michael is my gay soul mate.

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to have a relationship with a straight man that comes close to my relationship with Michael. If he were straight I would marry him… Sometimes I wonder if he’s the perfect guy because he’s not a straight guy… I mean, straight guys only wanna sleep with you, gay men never want to sleep with you. They really actually do only wanna be your friend. I guess what I need to find is a straight man who is like Michael. Here’s to wishful thinking…


Love yall!
R

Advent

It is now my favorite time of year: Advent! I love Christmas! It’s the best time of year. The time of year when people are kind to each other, where they give to those in need, where they smile when they pass you on the street. I love Christmas. I love the Christmas markets. I went to a Christmas market today (Sunday) and walked around the rathaus (city hall) where they have a huge advent market. They have turned the windows into an advent calendar. What this means is that for each of the 24 days before Christmas a different numbered window will open revealing a picture of something Christmas related. YAY CHRISTMAS! Instead of coming home I am going to spend Christmas in Berlin with Michael. I can’t wait to see the Christmas markets in Berlin! This Christmas is going to be awesome! If I get a job as an FSO I might be able to be placed in Germany after a point. FSO btw is a Foreign Service officer.


I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! I will miss you! May your Christmas be merry, full of laughter, love and may it be bright! I really hope there is snow in Berlin! And maybe if God is feeling extra generous Nashville can get some snow too! I love you all! I’ll update more later in the week.


Love you all!

R

Don't read if you dont wanna hear me be lame.

I called Nick. It was good. Sometimes talking to him is good. It makes me feel like no matter where I am in the world one thing will always be normal and constant. I miss him. I miss us. It’s hard to move on from a relationship, from being in love with someone when you don’t feel like you are apart from them. Even across the ocean I still feel as though I am right there. Its almost like nothing has changed since I was staying with him my freshman year of high school. If it just takes time to move on from a relationship, why am I not over it? I figure there are two potential outcomes… We will either end up together, or I will find someone else. Those are really the only two out comes. I guess the problem is, we talked about maybe picking things back up when I get back… Nick said this. Who knows if that will happen. Who knows if this will be something I will want. We shall see.

I have been watching The Middle Man. I love that show! I’m so sad they canceled it. It was a great show. Download it off of Itunes. You won’t regret it. In fact you will thank me for having you do it. I met one of my friend’s girl friends this past weekend. I loved her. She is just like all of the girls that I hung out at Bmont. She is awesome! She is moving here in Jan. It will be cool to have someone here that I feel is like me. It would be cool to have a friend that I feel like really likes me. I mean my friends here like me, but I’m nobody’s favorite. Where as back home I am Elly’s favorite and Amy’s favorite! So I have people who love me more than anyone else. Which is a good feeling. It’s awesome to know that you are someone’s best friend, that they love you and want what’s best for you. I love that there are at least 2 people in the world who would rather be with me than other people. I know it sounds dumb but it’s the one thing that I feel the most insecure about. It just seems like everyone else has a person that loves being around them all the time. I wanna have someone that feels that way about me too.

Speaking of which, I really wish there was someone in my life. I miss being with Nick a lot. More than that, I miss being with someone. I miss having a boyfriend. I miss waking up next to someone; I miss spending time with someone who loves me. I miss being with someone. Which may be lame. But this blog is going to be lame. Because I have been feeling lonely. So that means that I have been feeling lame. Silly? Maybe, but its how I feel and you have chosen to read this, which means I can torture you with my problems.
Anyway, I love you all!

Weekends that dreams are made of

It’s Sunday night and I have just eaten a lovely dinner of chicken breast, rice, and Brussels sprouts followed chocolate mousse. My tummy is really happy! Yesterday evening I went to this church called the Vienna International Church and they have different services in different languages. The German service is at 6pm of Saturday nights. The only bad thing about it is the service last night lasted 2 hours and 15 min.
Not that I don’t want to praise God for that long, but I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. That sounds terrible. Doesn’t it?

I went to Ikea to buy another set of sheets. God bless Ikea. I went Saturday afternoon. The only thing about Ikea that I don’t like is that it’s like a maze. You walk in and they have arrows pointing you in the direction you should be going in. But its not like you walk in and go to your dept, you walk in and have to go through the maze until you find the dept. you need to shop in. So I walked through the Ikea maze to get to bedding. I bought bedding at this other place when I first got here, but you have to have bedding for when you wash your sheets. And Ikea lets me use my debit card instead of having to take cash out. I like being able to use my debit card. There is nowhere in Austria where you can pay with your debit card. It’s pretty much a cash only country.


I still have this cold. I’m going to the doctor this week. It’s been 2 weeks. It’s time. I’ve been taking vitamins, sleeping all the time, drinking tea, and taking extra vitamin C and nothing works. But the doctor who’s info I got from a teacher at school is an ear nose and throat doctor, so that means, I will get better.
So I have this week off and I am going to explore Vienna. Expect Pictures soon.


I love you all!

R

"Any Minute Now, my ship is coming in. I’ll keep checking the horizon, I’ll stand on the bow, fell the waves come crashing, come crashing down on me. And you say: Be still my love, open up your heart let the light shine in. Don’t you understand I already have a plan. I am waiting for my real life to being. On a Clear Day, I can see, see a very long way.” ~ Colin Hay Band


For the past few days I have been watching old Scrubs episodes. In the episode where Turk asks Carla to marry him, a song plays called “Question” by the Old 97’s and its one of the most beautiful songs ever. Go look it up. When I get married, I wanna hear that song when I am being proposed to. I love Scrubs. It’s always funny, no matter how many times I have seen the same episode. The Character JD in Scrubs is someone I really relate to. The way JD daydreams and talks to himself is so similar to the way I daydream and talk to myself… Which is either sad or funny, I’m not sure. JD is like the male sensitive TV version of me. Not that I’m not sensitive, I’m just not as girly as JD.

Teaching has been super cool so far. The kids are great, its super easy and I get paid about a bit over 20 euros an hour to talk to kids for 13 hours a week. It’s awesome! I think the kids like me. You can never be sure about that. I can tell that they are somewhat interested in what I have to say. I think I’m doing a good job. I think I’m good at my job. To be sure the students are very diverse. There are kids from all over here. There are kids from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, other parts of Europe and now because of me the US too! It’s good to be in a school that’s not full of white kids. I like diversity.

I think this year is going to be a good year for me. I think God lead me here for a reason, I just have to be open to whatever He sends me. I can already tell that I was called here. Everything has worked out for me to prove it. God called me here, now I just need to find my place in this country. He’ll show it to me. I love you all! I hope you are having an amazing day and a great week!


R

Tired of using McDoanlds

So, for the last few days I have been forced to go to a place that when at home I never go... McDonalds I hate McDonalds. I mean that sounds silly right? How can you hate something so unimportant as a fast food place. But I mean their burgers aren't that good, their fries suck, and the only thing that they have that I like is Mcnuggets and Orange Hi-C. One of those things they don't even make. I like nuggets because I like all shitty chicken products, but their internet is free. And all I have to do is spend a euro on something as small as a sprite and I can use it for however long I want. I ordered internet yesterday. It will be in my apartment in 2 weeks. So, for 2 weeks I have to use McDonalds. I can hold out for 2 weeks.

I don't hate Mcdonalds out of principle. I felt like that point should be made clear. I hate it because their food sucks and everyone in Europe believes I live off of it. If they had the best burger in the world, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't mind being given shit for eating the best burger in the world. But that is not the case. I get told that all Americans are fat, stupid Mcdonalds loving jerks. Some of them are. But there are just as many fat stupid European jerks who live off of the crappy burgers and often soggy fries. I can't wait till the day comes when I don't have to come to Mcdonalds anymore. Its not that I'm one of those poor animals people. I'm not. Its also not that I really care that much for the business practices of McDonalds. Althought that is the reason I hate Walmart. I hate McDonalds because of the food, and because I am forced to eat it until I have internet. Now I know what you're thinking, go without internet or go to an internet cafe. If you could go without internet for 2 weeks that's fine for you. I can't. Also internet cafe's are expensive. I can't afford them. So I will keep coming here until the time comes when I don' t have to.

I have a cold. I bought medicine, tea, honey, tissue, and vitamines. I will sleep this cold away and be well enough for School on Monday. I shall overcome. Today's blog is so negative because of this cold. I always feel grumpy when I'm sick. I'm sorry you are having to read my rant. Monday, I have decided, I will feel better and next week's blogs will be cheery. Until then, you have my love.

R

Sitting by the Danube

At this moment (as in the moment this is being written, not when you are reading this) I am sitting by the Danube River, having just got a call from a friend that I would not be meeting her after all. It’s actually nice to not be in my apartment, even if I am alone. I don’t mind being alone. It’s given me an excuse to update for you guys. So, since my last update much has happened. I have begun to teach. I had my first classes this week. I have made the decision to get Internet. I have as of now ventured out of my apartment/schools to explore some and this weekend plan to explore Vienna. I’m never going to be happy if I don’t wander outside of my apartment. It’s beautiful here by the river. I might have to start coming here everyday. Well, maybe not everyday, but every other day for sure. I love water and I love being outside.

I think the ability to be alone is one of the most important things in a person’s life. If you can’t spend enough time without other people around I don’t think you have a healthy life. Being alone and being in silence is healing. It allows us to listen, not just to what people are saying but also to God and the world. Don’t get me wrong, I would consider myself a people person and feel like crap when I don’t have enough human contact, but I am learning that quiet time is important. For example, after leaving the river today, I went to get some ice cream. I figured it was still warm enough to enjoy it before all the shops were closed and ice cream was something I would have to wait 5 months for. Ice cream is something I enjoy maybe more than a good number of relationships that I have, it never fails to please me, it always is good, and I am always happy after eating it. Unfortunately ice cream can’t love me back. I can’t live off of ice cream alone. I am learning that I need to value both aspects of life. The times spent in silence, and those spent with others. Much like ice cream I enjoy being alone and in silence, but being alone doesn’t provide me with all I need to make it through life. I need people. I cannot live without the silence though, so a balance must be found. I am finding that balance. While at Belmont, I was surrounded by friends, it nice to not be. I miss them (that means you) but it is good to find myself.

I love you all!

R

VIENNA!!!!

Last night I had a terrible dream. I dreamed that my grandmother was dead. I dreamed that I was crying really hard and that her spirit came to me and told me not to be sad. She told me she was with God, and I asked her in my dream if there really was a God and she said yes, and that I must be strong in my faith and love God and have unshakable faith. This dream was God talking to me I think. I love Jesus. I love God. But I do not have unshakable faith. Sometimes I question things, sometimes I wonder if God is real… I think the purpose of this dream was for God to let me know for sure that I must have a faith that does not move if I am to enter heaven. I must know and love God. I hope that I do.


A Few Days Later:

I called my grandma… She’s fine. But I really wanted to hear her voice. I was really happy to know that nothing had happened. I am now in Vienna. I met the nicest man in Vienna today. He was an older gentleman, maybe my grandpa’s age, and he was with this other older man who had been living in Vienna for the past 50 years. The first man paid for my dinner and bought my sprite. He was really kind. He talked to me and I really enjoyed his company. If this is what Vienna is going to be like, I’m ready! A few people offered to help me while I was carrying my bags, and I feel good about the day and the week. Today is my second day in Vienna and I have felt stressed today. I have so much money that I have to spend on the forefront to get everything started. I know God will provide. I’m sure of it. I was crying on the phone with my mom tonight. Nothing is really wrong, and I’m probably just tired, but it’s hard to move to a new city and not know anyone. It’s hard to move to a new country in general. I know I’ll make friends. It just takes time. I do know one thing though. I am really glad to have my own apartment. I’m glad that I have my own space. Its good to be my own person, and have my own stuff. Monday is the day my new life begins. I’m sure Monday; heck even tomorrow will be better. Tonight, I’m going to take a bath, watch fight club and chill out. Chilling out is what I need the most. A bath probably won’t hurt either. I took one this morning but sometimes its just nice to sit in the hot water and relax.

I’ll be ok. I always am. I just have to get through the next few days. I’ll make it through the next few weeks and then everything will be totally normal and I can begin to find a ticket to visit Michael, which will do me good. I miss him. It’s funny how a few days ago I wanted my space and now I miss him so much! Haha I guess what happens when you’re best friend is in another country. But unlike when I’m home, he’s only a train ride away. I can’t wait to have Christmas with him and his family. They are amazing! Well, I love you all!

R

The Hills Are Alive, With The Sound of Music!

Today is my last day in Berlin. I will soon be leaving for Austria and while I am sad that I won’t see Michael for a while, I am excited to finally have my own place in Vienna. I’m really excited to have some time to myself. That is something that is perhaps more important to me than anything else; Alone Time. I get cranky when I don't have enough of it. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Michael... I do. But I need time to myself and I don't get it here when I'm staying with him. I also can't wait to be able to take a shower instead of a bath. Michael only has a bathtub and no shower. I also can't wait to go grocery shopping and cook the food that I like. We made bbq chicken last night. It was really good. I'm just ready to get my life started.

He has friends from the school that we went to coming in today. I'm not exactly excited to see them... I mean I only know one of them, but I didn't like her when we were in school. We'll see how it goes.

Also, if you want to see what a woman of God looks like check out this blog: http://reachingup.wordpress.com It's Kristen Wright's blog. My friend who was in the car crash. She's amazing!

Oh here are some random pics from the week

Michael













Part of Berlin








Michael taking pictures












The Garden of the World







Curry Wurst







Path to the Soviet Memorial












White flakes float away from each other, to each other, through each other each one completely for itself.

Schweine Haxe

I am sitting here in a cafe with free wifi and am still feeling full after last night's ungodly amount of food that was consumed. Above is the picture of what Schweine Haxe looks like. We both ordered it, Micha was surprised that I was able to eat as much as I did... Which was not all that was on the plate. Doesn't that look amazing? I mean it looks like an ungodly amount of food, but in case you want to know what is on that plate, here goes! The Schweine Haxe is a roasted lower pig's leg that has been covered in a Stout beer sauce that was full of garlic and herbs. The pig was basted with the sauce while it was cooked, which added to both the flavor and the moisture of the meat. The meat itself was surrounded by a layer of fat that leant itself to both a juicy and tender texture. The meat came easily from the bone and melted in your mouth. It was served with sour kraut and boiled potatoes and horseradish. The kraut was also covered in the beer sauce that had been dripping off the meat. It was awesome. I don't think I could eat that everyday or once a week even, but it was delightful.

Now to move on to the plan today. We are going to go to a lake and then who knows. I think tomorrow we are going to cook at home, we might do that tonight as well. Which is all well and good because I have payed for alot more than Micha has. Which isn't a huge deal, its just I also payed alot of money to get here. Oh well... I wish you could all be here. I miss you all. I'm going to get back to my me time for the day. I might post again later. He's studying for his Chemistry class and we don't plan to head to the lake for another 2 hours. I love yall!


R

Verliebt in Berlin

Last night Micha and I went out with 3 of his friends. They were all gay…. I used to pride myself on my gaydar abilities, but its hard to know who is gay and who isn't. My gaydar was in fact amazing… Until I get here and gay guys act just like straight guys…. Man, its hard to have gaydar when they dress like straight men, talk like straight men and are just like straight men. Not that gay men are totally different or that they have a distinct way of acting that makes it clear who is and who is not gay, but rather as a woman who has a million gay friends you just know.

So anyway, we went out with these guys last night and one of them in particular was the kind of guy that I would love to date. He was funny, smart, good looking, nice, all the things that you would want in a bf or a partner for that matter. He was very affectionate with one of the other guys there but Germans have a different way of going about friendship and are a lot more openly affectionate with each other and I hate making assumptions about people anyway. But after a bit I asked Micha whether they were gay and it turns out all of the 3 were. Now one was obvious, but the other two were only obvious as the night went on. It just figures that the best night I've had going out with men in a long time would be with 4 gay men… Which would be reason number 546 why I can't maintain a relationship with a straight man.

I'm sitting here right now at a café close to Michael (who if you haven't figured out is Micha) people watching which is what I do best. Germans are so interesting to me. The way they interact with each other, the way they talk, the way they walk, the way I feel they perceive me. For example, there is a young man standing close to me, he is wearing a loud neon blue t-shirt that says out of the box in a rainbow of colors with really shitty camo pants and a blue and orange baseball cap. To say that he is wearing a rainbow is an understatement. He is trying to look cool, which is the way with all young men.

There is another guy close buy with very curly blond hair, a maroon sweater, and black pants. He has a tan backpack on and is walking with a girl who is either his gf or a close friend. You can tell from the way they interact. This man who is a construction worker is watching me watch House. There was a cool part and I got really excited. Sitting in a café with a laptop is not normal for Germany. Especially when you have a Mac like me. Its not normal in general to have a Mac at all but anything their pc's can do my Mac can do better. I also know I look silly laughing at my computer…. But I don't really care.

You know, I've been thinking a lot about home, about the way my life is there. I don't think I want to come back. I'm going to look into doing my masters here. I think it will be better for me. Somehow I'm a better person here in Germany. My past doesn't follow me here and I feel like my sin isn't as great, because Nick's not here, and I have Michael. Being around your best friend makes a world of difference. When I'm around Michael I am at my best, even when we fight like an old married couple. I can be myself and not just myself, but my best self.

We went to Michael's brother's house and hung out with him, his gf, and his new baby. She's a month old. I think I wanna give her a Dr. Seuss book for Christmas. I had a great time holding the baby... Not like its really that different than holding any other baby... Jrew for example is one baby I love holding and after a while baby Scarlett let me hold her. I was the baby holder in my family.... I love babies. I like the idea of when she starts taking English in school and knows that there's this book from a girl named Roxanna who held her as a baby. I like the idea of a child having a book that is both inspirational and meaningful that she can associate with me. Michael's neice's name is Anna. I'm gonna give her "Oh the Places You Go." It will be good for her.

This week is going by too fast. I feel like I just got here. I love you all!


R

Die Linke aka the German Communist Party

So I went to this communist party rally, well, they call it socialism but we all know that in Germany socialism = communism but whatever, you say tomato I say tomahto. Michael thought I wasn't really paying attention and gave me a hard time, but I even took notes. You have to understand why someone's wrong in order to argue against them. Let me first say that I am not a socialist and while I am liberal for a an American, I just don't get how Socialism is really supposed to work. If going to a super conservative school has taught me nothing else, I have learned that Communism while on paper the perfect ideology doesn't work in real life because people are super greedy and suck. I went to a school full of republicans. They taught me that through their explainations of their ideology and through their actions... It was however, very interesting to hear what the commis had to say...

I mean I understand what they want to do, and I even agree with somethings. For example, I think children should be provided with a good education. I also think that the way this works is through government. I think that if you let small communities take care of education we'll have a group of kids who believe that white people were created by God to reign over black people and those kids will leave in the hills of East Ky... And I don't care if that pisses you off because its true. But I'm realistic about it, you have to tax people, there will be a greater emphasis on a general education and things like prayer in school will not exist, but I think all children deserve a good education.

So here's what they talked about... I'll give you a list, its easier than writing out every argument.
First this lady in an ugly gray suit came up and talked about environmentalism. Her big quote was "energy is a basic need." She talked about how pollution is an issue that the poor face more than anyone else because rich people live where clean air is and poor people work in dangerous places and live in dirty pollution filled places... She was the best speaker of the three that spoke. Her speech, albeit short, was well structured, interesting, easy to follow and her language was clear.
The second Candidate was this really butch looking red head in a bright green jacket. A big point that she made was privatization = evil. She talked about privatizing the public transportation system would lead to its demise and hurts the system. She also talked about nuclear proliferation and how its important for the safety of Germany... She talked alot about retirement and the amount of money that is in the west vs. in the east. She talked about citizens rights in terms of the economy and that there should be a living wage.
The last guy, Gysi, a portly short balding man who I'm sure has a small man complex then came up and sounded the call to arms. His main talking points were the East West money issue, Retirement, getting out of Afghanistan, jobs, and nuclear energy. He talked alot about the differences in wages for the East Germans when compared to the West Germans. By the way he spoke you would have still though the wall was up. He talked about getting out of the war and how war cannot bring peace. He talked alot about retirement and unemplyment and how much money a person who has retired or is unemployed should make. He used alot of class talk, saying that we needed to step out of the class society and into one that provides "equal opportunity" which really translated throughout his speech to be equal outcome. He talked about how they need to sponsor jobs for Germans such as teaching jobs. He mentioned that Nuclear energy should be gotten rid of and then after discussing this went into a talk about war and peace. He is calling the German govt. to bring troops home today. He was long winded, seemed angry, and looked like his blood pressure was going up... There was a lack of structure and he was redundant. He also wants to lower taxes while increasing social programs.

Here are some Q's that I wrote down:
How is Germany going to fund going green? How much money does Germany need to fund the normal costs along with their programs? Also, What is the difference in the cost of living between East and West Germany? How do social programs help the poor rise out of poverty? How is the socialist program that they want to run Democratic? What were your sources? How can you lower taxes while increasing programs? What programs will suffer because of lowering taxes?


Over all, I wasn't convinced. I don't see how people are going to have increased social support without raising taxes... I mean, I'm all for wellfare and certain social programs. I think that America should have universal health care, but I also realize that other programs will have to be cut in order to pay for the others. I also know that taxes will rise. That's the way it works.
As for the war in Afghanistan, I don't think jumping out will help either Germany or America. I hate war, my bleeding liberal heart loves peace. I don't like how much we spend on the military nor do I think the money goes to where it should (which is to the troops) however, I don't think it will be easy to just pull troops out regardless of what country they are from. Also, what is the cost if they do? Could it be greater than if they stay? It all comes down to what happens in the long run. Oh another point that I wanted to make is that they want to increase taxes for rich people... Now I do think they should pay more taxes than poor people, but they way these people were talking they want to tax the hell out of them. Like they wanna punnish rich people for being rich. I'm all for proportional taxation but not taxation as a punishment.

Needless to say, I am not nor will I ever be a communist, or a true socialist for that matter. I like some of the things Marx said. I wanna help the poor, and I love peace, but I'm not sure this is the way to do it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not turning into a neocon... But I'm not as liberal as they are... Not by any means. Ok I'm done. I love yall!


R

Inglorious Bastards

Micha and I just saw Inglorious Bastards!!! HOLY SHIT! It was SOOO good! Go see it NOW! Go ahead, I'll wait...



Are you going? Good!


Ok, now that you're back from watching the movie, HOLY SHIT right? I mean it was SO good! The guy who played the jew hunter was the shit! For real though! He was the shit!

Ok, I'm done. Michi and I had a good day today. I hope that if I ever get married the man I marry is half as amazing and wonderful as Michi. I love him alot, and he puts up with me and actually likes being around me... Weird huh? Now, just so you guys know, once I get to Austria I'll only post once a week. I don't know if I'll have internet, so you'll have to be patient. But I love you all...

So Micha's an athiest and sometimes he gets on my nerves when he makes fun of religion. But a man can't be perfect. Well, again, I love you all!

R

Last Night...

You know someone is your best friend when you get hyper because of jetlag, start dancing around a room, do shots of tequila and they don't just laugh at you they join in. I heart Michael! Most of my friends would have just laughed and shook their heads, Micha jumps right in. So, after a night of drinking, lip-syncing, dancing, and general madness we went to sleep and now I am up ready to go to church! We are going to have breakfast (brotchen!!!!!!!!!!) and then I will go and praise God for his glory. It was God that brought Micha and I together!

Love
R

Moral of the Story: People Are Stupid...

Ok so this post isn't about how people are stupid, but people are stupid. Micha and I went to this outdoor market where they were selling all this crap that is super cheap in the US and cost an arm and a leg here in Germany. They pay like 10 Euro for stuff that I wouldn't pay more than 2 bucks for. So what I'm going to do is buy a bunch of crap that I would never buy and sell it here. HA!

Today Michael and I had a busy day, we went to that stupid market and then we checked to see how much the Pergamon museum was and then we went and walked what felt like 10 miles to eat currywurst and french fries. Currywurst is the way God shows us that he loves us and wants us to be happy. Then we went to Treptower park and we saw Michael's brother's gf and their baby! She was SOOO cute! I love babies. We walked forever with her to this monument honoring Soviet soliders who were killed in WWII. Pinko Commis...

Then we went to eat icecream and to get me some water. Germany's climate is so dry. I feel like I'm drying out everytime I'm here. Like all of the water is being drained from my body and I will almost die. lol After I drank half a bottle (1.5 liters) of water and then we ate icecream. :) The love of my life btw is German icecream, specifically this kind called spaghetti ice which is icecream made to look like spaghetti and they put strawberry sauce on top and put whipped cream under the icecream. Its heaven on earth! Better than my fruit tarts. haha

Right now we just had dinner, had some tequila and are watching Bridget Jones. That's one of the awesome things about Micha, he'll always watch chick flicks with me. We're sitting here, I'm using him as my footrest, and I'm almost ready to fall asleep right now. I can't wait for tomorrow! I found this church down the street from Michael and I can't wait to go there. Michael btw will not be going to church with me. He laughed when he thought I had written that. I miss Mosaic already! But I shall overcome. K I'm done. I love you all!

R

The Church Bells Are Ringing

I almost always wake up before Michael when I stay with him. His apartment wall facing South is almost all windows and when the sun begins to shine through I wake up. Outside his window church bells are ringing, almost as if to say "Roxanna, we're praising God this morning! What are you doing to start off your day?" So, because I have been challenged by the church Bells this morning, that is what today will be about. Kristen is ok, she lost a finger, but God is great and knew that she still had work to do here on earth with us so he spared her life! I think I'm going to look for a church in Vienna online. I'll need a good one.


I'll post more either later today or tomorrow but Good Morning guys!

Love
R

Day one

I am sitting here in Michael's apartment watching a documentary about Berlin. It's called 24h Berlin. I'm not sure if I am interested, but because he likes it we're watching it. To say that I am tired is an understatement... I am using all of the last bits of energy I have left to stay awake until 9 and then I am going straight to bed. I took a 2 hour nap. I couldn't sleep on the airplane. Normally I fall asleep as soon as I sit down, but the flight was warm and I couldn't get comfortable. I sat next to this lovely Danish lady who was super kind and talked to me. She was sweet. The flight to DC was spent next to a lady from Oregon who was a flight attendant. She was also really sweet. She shared her celery with me and asked me about my life. Her name was Chantal. God knew what He was doing today, and as I prayed He would, He blessed me.

I am so excited to be here! I'm nervous about Vienna, nervous about the apartment, but I'm generally excited. I missed Michael so much! I feel really emotional today, but it could be because I have slept 3 hours in the last 36 hours. After a bath and a good night's rest I'm sure I'll feel different. Please pray for me. Pray that God continues to provide and that He shows the same favor that He has been showing me.

I didn't get to say goodbye to my siblings today, and I'm kind of sad that I didn't. So, Alex and Cammie, if you read this, I love you and I am going to miss you. Alex woke me up at 6 and I said goodbye but I was still asleep. I couldn't sleep Wednesday night. I was awake. No matter how hard I tried I was too excited.

Oh Also, I just found out that a very good friend of mine was in a car crash. She lost a finger and they spent all night working on it in surgery. Her name is Kristen and she'll be in the hospital for a week. Pray that God heals her quickly.

Ok, that's enough for today.

I love you all!
R

I am the stone that the building refused.

From yesterday

Hello Everyone:
Here I am at the Nashville Airport sitting close to some Germans speaking about something totally unimportant. They checked in before me, and it made me so happy to hear German in Nashville. I am sitting in a lounge watching the Boondocks laughing out loud. Literally… To be honest, I am kind of nervous about the apartment. I think I have enough money for it but the guy is asking for 4 months rent as a safety deposit. What the heck right? It better be the best apartment I have ever seen in my life!

Its funny to think that in less than 24 hours I will be in Berlin. I have waited for the last year and a half to get back to Europe. Its strange to think that a year and a half ago I was in Germany with Michael saying goodbye. And now I am about to board a plane that will get me back to a place where I feel like I belong. I will miss Nashville, but I am so excited to leave. Its time.

The Boondocks is so funny! It makes the time fly by. Right now the episode about R Kelly is playing. The first time I watched this was with Emily. We watched it at her apartment one night after we ate dinner at South Street. We laughed together as the show played and discussed whether or not it was racist against whites or blacks, or just plain realistic. It could be all three. It was a fun night. I won’t forget it anytime soon.

Well, Nashville, here’s to you and your kind people and good southern food. I will miss you! I’ll never forget the people or places that grace your streets and part of my heart will always be with you. I am who I am because of you.


Love,
R

New Blog

I am packing for what will be the next year of my life in Vienna. I am starting this blog so that those of you who know me can keep track of what's going on in my life. I'll miss yall, but I'm excited for this Grand European Adventure!


R