This might be a bad time to write my Truth Tuesday because I'm in the middle of figuring out what I want to write a 10 page essay on and I'm extremely frustrated. I'm so ready to be done and I lack all motivation. So this Tuesday, I might not be as upbeat as last Tuesday. Sorry.
--Writing essays makes me sick to my stomach. Not always, but sometimes I'll hit a point where I realize I have no idea AT ALL what I'm going to write about, what argument I'm going to make, and how in the world I'm going to reach the page requirement. And then I get stressed and can't focus and my mind goes everywhere and I just want to give up and cry. Yep. That's how I feel right now. I just want someone to write the paper for me.
--I think I'm ready to come home. I really do love it here and I'm going to miss it immensely, but I'm ready to be home. I'm ready to be surrounded by English, I'm ready for some sense of normalcy, I'm ready for ranch dressing, I'm ready to have nothing to worry about other than planning my wedding, and I'm ready to see Kam again. I have just under three weeks, all of which will go by quickly, but I'm giving up fast. I blame the schoolwork.
--I hate that I avoid hard things. Like this essay. Instead of cramming my nose into books I distract myself by blogging. If something is hard, I'll just not do it. (The exception to that being my trip here to Austria). Usually this pertains to schoolwork. I'm trying to break that habit.
--I've been really emotional lately and it sucks.
--I wish people would write academic essays in everyday language. I feel like I don't understand a lot of it and I have to slow down and read it carefully and look up some words and it takes a long time. Curse the smart people....curse them...
I'm done complaining. And the more I put off this paper the more stressed I get, so I should probably get back to working on it. Pray for me.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
'Tis the Season
Thanksgiving is over.
Let the Christmas celebration begin.
(On a side note, we had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. Everything tasted just like it does at home and I got to share one of my favorite holidays with people I've come to really love. Some of them had never celebrated Thanksgiving before. It was a unique and wonderful experience that I'll cherish forever.)
Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love everything about it: the lights, the trees, the nativities, the snow, the hot chocolate, buying gifts for people, all the decorations, and the music. Especially the music. To me, Christmas just isn't Christmas without the music! I'm the type of person that doesn't ever change the radio stations from the Christmas stations until the 26th of December. In fact, this season is one of the only times I ever really even listen to the radio at all.
Therefore, I've made a list of my top 10 essential Christmas songs:
1) O Holy Night. This is probably one of my all-time favorite songs, no matter who sings it. Oooh especially when the higher part is belted out and it's just...ahhh...
2) Sleighride. As far back as I can remember, my sisters have played a duet on the piano of Sleighride every Christmas. It's a great memory I have of sitting in the house when it was getting close to Christmas and hearing two of them playing it in the other room. For that reason, it will always be in my Top 10 favorites.
3) Deck the Halls by Mannheim Steamroller. Mannheim Steamroller will ALWAYS remind me of my childhood Christmases. I can remember sitting in our dark living room in our old house with nothing but the lights of the tree shining and having Mannheim in the background. Bliss, I tell you! Deck the Halls, to me, is the essential song to play during Christmastime.
4) O Tannenbaum by Vince Guaraldi Trio. Okay, so any song by Vince Guaraldi for that matter. For those who don't know, he is the one that does the music for Charlie Brown Christmas. It's soothing, it's jazzy, and it's Christmas.
5) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings by Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan. This song....is fantastic. I don't really know what else to say about it other than that, really. I love God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen anyway, but this version is by far my favorite.
6) Christmas Eve by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Okay, who doesn't love a little Trans-Siberian Orchestra? They rock. Literally.
7) O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Just another favorite of mine and a must for the Christmas season. So beautiful.
8) The Christmas Song. The title says it all. It talks about everything I love about Christmas, and therefore, I must listen.
9) Carol of the Bells. Alright, I'm having a hard time coming up for reasons why these are on my list other than I just really like them and they make the season what it is for me. Okay?
10) Last Christmas by Wham. Okay, I have a reason for this one. And I never said I actually ENJOYED every one of these songs, I just said they made Christmas for me. This song is one of the longer running jokes in my family. Someone has to sing the lines to it at least once when we get together around Christmas. "Last Christmas I GEV you my heart, but the very next day, you GEV it away..." Classic.
So there you have it, folks. Your (my) Top 10 essential Christmas songs. May your days be merry and bright. :)
Let the Christmas celebration begin.
(On a side note, we had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. Everything tasted just like it does at home and I got to share one of my favorite holidays with people I've come to really love. Some of them had never celebrated Thanksgiving before. It was a unique and wonderful experience that I'll cherish forever.)
Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love everything about it: the lights, the trees, the nativities, the snow, the hot chocolate, buying gifts for people, all the decorations, and the music. Especially the music. To me, Christmas just isn't Christmas without the music! I'm the type of person that doesn't ever change the radio stations from the Christmas stations until the 26th of December. In fact, this season is one of the only times I ever really even listen to the radio at all.
Therefore, I've made a list of my top 10 essential Christmas songs:
1) O Holy Night. This is probably one of my all-time favorite songs, no matter who sings it. Oooh especially when the higher part is belted out and it's just...ahhh...
2) Sleighride. As far back as I can remember, my sisters have played a duet on the piano of Sleighride every Christmas. It's a great memory I have of sitting in the house when it was getting close to Christmas and hearing two of them playing it in the other room. For that reason, it will always be in my Top 10 favorites.
3) Deck the Halls by Mannheim Steamroller. Mannheim Steamroller will ALWAYS remind me of my childhood Christmases. I can remember sitting in our dark living room in our old house with nothing but the lights of the tree shining and having Mannheim in the background. Bliss, I tell you! Deck the Halls, to me, is the essential song to play during Christmastime.
4) O Tannenbaum by Vince Guaraldi Trio. Okay, so any song by Vince Guaraldi for that matter. For those who don't know, he is the one that does the music for Charlie Brown Christmas. It's soothing, it's jazzy, and it's Christmas.
5) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings by Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan. This song....is fantastic. I don't really know what else to say about it other than that, really. I love God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen anyway, but this version is by far my favorite.
6) Christmas Eve by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Okay, who doesn't love a little Trans-Siberian Orchestra? They rock. Literally.
7) O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Just another favorite of mine and a must for the Christmas season. So beautiful.
8) The Christmas Song. The title says it all. It talks about everything I love about Christmas, and therefore, I must listen.
9) Carol of the Bells. Alright, I'm having a hard time coming up for reasons why these are on my list other than I just really like them and they make the season what it is for me. Okay?
10) Last Christmas by Wham. Okay, I have a reason for this one. And I never said I actually ENJOYED every one of these songs, I just said they made Christmas for me. This song is one of the longer running jokes in my family. Someone has to sing the lines to it at least once when we get together around Christmas. "Last Christmas I GEV you my heart, but the very next day, you GEV it away..." Classic.
So there you have it, folks. Your (my) Top 10 essential Christmas songs. May your days be merry and bright. :)
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thankful
Today has definitely been a homesick day, but this is one day I believe I can be totally justified in saying that. I woke up this morning, realized it was Thanksgiving, and had a little twinge of sadness. I love waking up Thanksgiving morning. I love knowing that food is probably already being prepared, that I don't have school, and that I'll be seeing a bunch of family later. This morning I just woke up, got ready for class, and it's been a normal day so far.
But despite all of that, I'm very thankful. And here are the things I'm most thankful for in my life:
Like ranch dressing.
:)
But despite all of that, I'm very thankful. And here are the things I'm most thankful for in my life:
- First and foremost, I'm thankful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was lucky enough to be born into it. Even greater than that is that I've come to a knowledge on my own that it is true. I have no idea where I would be without the gospel, and I frankly do not care to know. It brings me the greatest happiness and I'm beyond grateful for it.
- I'm thankful for my amazing family. Anyone that knows me knows that I come from a very unique family situation. We're huge, we're different, we're growing, and we love each other. I love getting together with everyone and laughing and joking. I'm just going to throw it out there: I have the greatest family in the world. This includes my future family as well! I love Kameron's parents and siblings so much. From the beginning they've been friendly, welcoming, and kind to me. I look forward to being a part of their family.
- I'm thankful for Kameron. Duh. I don't even need to explain this one, do I? The guy is, forgive the cliche, the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Every day I think, "What in the world did I do in order to deserve a guy like that?" He's everything I've ever wanted in future husband and more. I think I'll keep him.
- I'm thankful for this opportunity to be in Austria. I'm pretty sure I've felt every emotion while being here. It's been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I would NEVER exchange it for anything. I've learned so much about myself, about a different culture, about my relationship with God, everything. I come home in 3 1/2 weeks, and that is nuts. I'll never regret this decision, I know that for sure. (And of course, being thankful for Austria also includes being thankful for the chocolate here.)
- I'm thankful for my wonderful friends. I have the greatest friends in the world. Whether I've known them for 2 years or since I was 2 years old, all of them are amazing. They cheer me up, they make me laugh until I can't breath, they let me cry, and they've got my back. If I could have all of them come live with me forever, I probably would. I'll have to talk to Kameron about that.
- I'm thankful for technology. I'm grateful that I'm able to communicate with people back home while I'm here by simply getting on the internet and clicking a button. It's been so nice.
- I'm thankful for hot chocolate. Because it's delicious. And it's warm.
- I'm thankful for a healthy body. I'm grateful that I can play sports and walk around and hike and do all sorts of great things with this body of mine. I see people that are sick or suffering all the time and I can't imagine what that would be like.
- I'm thankful for Elder and Sister Glover. They're the senior missionary couple here in Innsbruck and they have saved my life here. They are the most kind, caring people I know and they're are so willing to drop what they're doing and make sure things are going well for me here. They're funny, they're easy to talk to, and I'm going to miss them incredibly when I leave. I'm going to miss the whole branch here, for that matter! They've all been so great and welcoming. I love them!
Like ranch dressing.
:)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Truth Tuesday!
Alright guys. I've had an extremely good Tuesday, so this is one Truth Tuesday that won't be filled with only complaints. Hopefully. :)
--I found this hair conditioner here in Austria and my hair has never felt better, softer or smoother. I may have to take some of it home with me as a souvenir. I also really hope it's actually conditioner. I guess even if it's not, I can't complain. My hair feels great.
--I also feel like my hair is getting longer and that makes me really happy. I'm one of those girls that lets her hair grow out a little bit, gets sick of it, cuts it shorter, and then regrets it once she sees the first old picture of longer hair. I just know that once it gets pretty long I'll get hair amnesia again and say, "I think I'd like shorter hair."
--I've been really proud of myself for how well I've been able to stick to my standards here in Austria without making anyone (including myself) feel awkward, judged, uncomfortable, etc...even though I've felt some pressure to go against what I believe to be right. It's a new experience for me to have to explain my beliefs to people (born and raised in Utah County, folks) so, I'm quite glad to know that I'm strong willed in that area of my life. :)
--WARNING: This part could be labeled TMI Tuesday for some, so if you don't want to know, don't read. Anyway, I started my birth control today. I don't feel old enough for birth control. Haha it's crazy to think that I could potentially be a MOTHER in less than a year. We want to wait a little while for that, so hopefully this little device I'm using will work, but I could always turn out to be the one percent. Hey Reality, what's up?
--I'm pretty sure I'm having a love affair with Mumford & Sons. I really can't stop listening to them. I absolutely love just plugging in my headphones as I walk down these Austrian streets and remind myself how incredible my life is right now.
--Thanksgiving is this week and I have mixed emotions. One part of me is sad that I won't be stuffing my face with my family or that I won't be watching large men tackling each other on my TV screen or that I won't have to debate what stores to go to the next morning at unreasonable hours. But the other part of me is really excited to celebrate this holiday with the Americans I know here as well as sharing it with the European friends I've made so far. Not many people can say they've spent Thanksgiving in Austria (I guess a whole lot of Austrians can, but does it count if they don't celebrate it?). I'm just going to enjoy every bite of that dinner and not dwell on the fact that I'm not with my loved ones. Even if I do have to go to class that day. First and last Thanksgiving I will ever have to do that!
--I'm more excited to buy people gifts here than I am to buy things for myself. I just can't narrow down exactly what I want to get for people. There is so much goodness all around me!!
--Sometimes I find joy in the little things, like changing the highlighting color on my computer. Now when I highlight things it's red instead of green. Sometimes a little change is good. ;)
--Alright, since I'm in such a good mood, I have to include something about Kameron. Nothing has really been different or changed with us (as far as things said or frequency of communication), but the last few days I've just felt really overwhelmed with giddiness and joy that I get to marry that boy. He's super great. I kind of love him. And I gidda keep 'im! Forever! YES.
--I found this hair conditioner here in Austria and my hair has never felt better, softer or smoother. I may have to take some of it home with me as a souvenir. I also really hope it's actually conditioner. I guess even if it's not, I can't complain. My hair feels great.
--I also feel like my hair is getting longer and that makes me really happy. I'm one of those girls that lets her hair grow out a little bit, gets sick of it, cuts it shorter, and then regrets it once she sees the first old picture of longer hair. I just know that once it gets pretty long I'll get hair amnesia again and say, "I think I'd like shorter hair."
--I've been really proud of myself for how well I've been able to stick to my standards here in Austria without making anyone (including myself) feel awkward, judged, uncomfortable, etc...even though I've felt some pressure to go against what I believe to be right. It's a new experience for me to have to explain my beliefs to people (born and raised in Utah County, folks) so, I'm quite glad to know that I'm strong willed in that area of my life. :)
--WARNING: This part could be labeled TMI Tuesday for some, so if you don't want to know, don't read. Anyway, I started my birth control today. I don't feel old enough for birth control. Haha it's crazy to think that I could potentially be a MOTHER in less than a year. We want to wait a little while for that, so hopefully this little device I'm using will work, but I could always turn out to be the one percent. Hey Reality, what's up?
--I'm pretty sure I'm having a love affair with Mumford & Sons. I really can't stop listening to them. I absolutely love just plugging in my headphones as I walk down these Austrian streets and remind myself how incredible my life is right now.
--Thanksgiving is this week and I have mixed emotions. One part of me is sad that I won't be stuffing my face with my family or that I won't be watching large men tackling each other on my TV screen or that I won't have to debate what stores to go to the next morning at unreasonable hours. But the other part of me is really excited to celebrate this holiday with the Americans I know here as well as sharing it with the European friends I've made so far. Not many people can say they've spent Thanksgiving in Austria (I guess a whole lot of Austrians can, but does it count if they don't celebrate it?). I'm just going to enjoy every bite of that dinner and not dwell on the fact that I'm not with my loved ones. Even if I do have to go to class that day. First and last Thanksgiving I will ever have to do that!
--I'm more excited to buy people gifts here than I am to buy things for myself. I just can't narrow down exactly what I want to get for people. There is so much goodness all around me!!
--Sometimes I find joy in the little things, like changing the highlighting color on my computer. Now when I highlight things it's red instead of green. Sometimes a little change is good. ;)
--Alright, since I'm in such a good mood, I have to include something about Kameron. Nothing has really been different or changed with us (as far as things said or frequency of communication), but the last few days I've just felt really overwhelmed with giddiness and joy that I get to marry that boy. He's super great. I kind of love him. And I gidda keep 'im! Forever! YES.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Truth Tuesday
Well, it's Tuesday again. Which, to me, is crazy because I feel like Tuesday happened three days ago. Anyway, here are my truths for this splendid Tuesday!
--I wish that I had a lot of money to completely redo my entire wardrobe. I know what style I like and want to have, but I just can't afford to buy the clothes to complete the style. I also feel like my style has changed mentally, but not in my actual clothing. Oh well. Maybe someday.
--I keep having this fear of being a terrible wife. I CAN cook, but don't do it often and the thought of making dinner all the time is a frightening one. I am scared to have to decorate somewhere to live. And I really hate cleaning. We'll see how this goes...
--Today I had some Haribo gummy frogs for breakfast. I don't care. I really don't.
--I've been comparing myself to other people a lot lately and that blows. Because then I get in these modes where I get so down on myself and degrade myself. It's such a crappy, worldly view that I know doesn't come from a good place. I'm always thinking I'm not _______ enough. It's hard to break away from it, too. It bugs me. I bug me.
--That being said, I had a realization the other day. I have a lot of great, wonderful, amazing friends. I have a fantastic family--the greatest, even. And I have a wonderful, caring fiance. And these people all like me for who I am right now. Even if I don't have the perfect body, wardrobe, or whatever it may be, they all still like me. One is even going to marry me. I feel like most people that I meet genuinely like me and get along with me. So, that should say a lot. I'm a cool person, right? That's what should matter most.
--I think I've given up on doing really well in my classes here in Austria. I'm in EUROPE. How am I supposed to focus on school? Hmmm?! I'll still work hard, but I'm done stressing.
--I think I'm going to pick up my violin when I get back to the States. It's been a long time and I realize that it's a talent I don't want to lose.
--I'm usually that person that gets really mad when people start celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving is over. I'm totally being hypocritical this year. But they're decorating streets here with lights! And there are huge Christmas trees everywhere! And they're setting up the Christmas markets! And my iPod likes to pick Christmas songs when it's on shuffle! What am I supposed to do in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving?! So, I'm allowing myself to get a TINY bit excited for Christmas early this year. But that doesn't mean you guys at home get to do the same and think it's okay. I told you...I'm being hypocritical.
Until next week! I'm going to go accidentally listen to some Trans-Siberian Orchestra...
--I wish that I had a lot of money to completely redo my entire wardrobe. I know what style I like and want to have, but I just can't afford to buy the clothes to complete the style. I also feel like my style has changed mentally, but not in my actual clothing. Oh well. Maybe someday.
--I keep having this fear of being a terrible wife. I CAN cook, but don't do it often and the thought of making dinner all the time is a frightening one. I am scared to have to decorate somewhere to live. And I really hate cleaning. We'll see how this goes...
--Today I had some Haribo gummy frogs for breakfast. I don't care. I really don't.
--I've been comparing myself to other people a lot lately and that blows. Because then I get in these modes where I get so down on myself and degrade myself. It's such a crappy, worldly view that I know doesn't come from a good place. I'm always thinking I'm not _______ enough. It's hard to break away from it, too. It bugs me. I bug me.
--That being said, I had a realization the other day. I have a lot of great, wonderful, amazing friends. I have a fantastic family--the greatest, even. And I have a wonderful, caring fiance. And these people all like me for who I am right now. Even if I don't have the perfect body, wardrobe, or whatever it may be, they all still like me. One is even going to marry me. I feel like most people that I meet genuinely like me and get along with me. So, that should say a lot. I'm a cool person, right? That's what should matter most.
--I think I've given up on doing really well in my classes here in Austria. I'm in EUROPE. How am I supposed to focus on school? Hmmm?! I'll still work hard, but I'm done stressing.
--I think I'm going to pick up my violin when I get back to the States. It's been a long time and I realize that it's a talent I don't want to lose.
--I'm usually that person that gets really mad when people start celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving is over. I'm totally being hypocritical this year. But they're decorating streets here with lights! And there are huge Christmas trees everywhere! And they're setting up the Christmas markets! And my iPod likes to pick Christmas songs when it's on shuffle! What am I supposed to do in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving?! So, I'm allowing myself to get a TINY bit excited for Christmas early this year. But that doesn't mean you guys at home get to do the same and think it's okay. I told you...I'm being hypocritical.
Until next week! I'm going to go accidentally listen to some Trans-Siberian Orchestra...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
In the Words of Bon Jovi
This is one of my favorite parts of the city.
We're halfway there.
Today marks the halfway point of my journey here in Innsbruck.
Never thought it would be so bittersweet.
When I first got here, I had a hard time. It's not to say I wasn't enjoying it, because I was enjoying it. I recognized how lucky I was and saw how beautiful the city was. I just had a lot of homesickness, jet lag, and frustration. Everything was so new, I didn't understand any of the language, and I had no idea where anything was or how anything worked.
Well, things have changed. Innsbruck feels like home now. I wake up now, and instead of feeling an instant pang of homesickness I simply get ready for the day with a smile on my face. (Except when I have to wake up early on Tuesdays. I still hate early.) I've had the chance to see some new places, make some amazing friends, and taste some incredible food. (Sorry new friends...I might miss the food the most. ;) ) I also find myself not caring that I can't understand everyone, and better yet I am starting to understand a few things myself. Not to mention this country/continent takes Christmas to a new level. It's only the second week in November and they're setting up trees, lights, and the Christmas markets should be opening within the next week or so. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and I'm so excited I get to spend part of the Christmas season here.
So you can see why it's bittersweet.
I absolutely love it here. But I also absolutely love home and the people waiting for me there. I am so excited to see everyone again, but when I think about leaving Innsbruck I get sad. It's not like I can easily hop a plane and come visit whenever I want.
So what does this mean for me? This means I'm not going to waste a day sitting around. Even if that just means walking around the city doing nothing in particular. This means I'm going to make the best of the last half of my time here. This means I'll probably take a lot more pictures. That is if I can remember to charge my camera...
When I first got here, I counted down every day. I would say, "Okay...I made it through another day...only this much longer..." and the days passed by so slowly. Now I've virtually stopped counting. I'm still keeping track of how many weeks I have left but it's not constantly on my mind anymore. And time. Is. Flying. Funny how that happens. I wish the times I wasn't having as much fun would have flown by and this last half could slow down.
I almost regret feeling the way I did when I got here. I could have enjoyed it so much more. But at the same time, I think I needed to feel that way. I needed to know what it was like to have culture shock. I needed to know what it was like to figure things out on my own and learn. I needed to miss home incredibly to appreciate what I have waiting for me.
But now that's over and I'm going to "live it up," as they say.
Look out, Innsbruck.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Truth Tuesday!
Alrighty, bloggity blog world. I like to blog stalk, and one of my favorite blogs to stalk is my friend Kelsey Keller Weller (I'll always call her that. I think it's fantastic.) She does a weekly thing called "Truth Tuesday" where she tells the truth of what is on her mind for that day, namely Tuesday. (You can read her blog here. It's really great.)
Naturally, I'm stealing the idea. And it's Tuesday. So, here it goes. It will probably just be a lot of random thoughts going through my head.
--I hate writing papers. Some would think I'm in the wrong major, but I don't think so. I love reading, analyzing, discussing...but writing papers on my analysis? No thanks. I'll happily write something creative, but no academic writing ever brings me joy.
--I love that Austria is becoming "home" for me. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm living here rather that just visiting here. It's going to be hard for me to leave.
--I can't believe how well some of my classmates can speak English. I'm learning German (which in my opinion is probably easier to learn than English) and I can't imagine being as fluent in German as they are in English. It's impressive.
--Sometimes I really feel like I'm not smart. I feel like there are a lot of people around me that can grasp concepts that are just so hard for me to understand. Maybe I don't apply myself enough. In fact, I'm sure I don't apply myself enough, because it bothers me that I don't. Of course, changing that is nearly impossible for me. Which also bothers me. I'm just bothered.
--I've been having this obsession with a couple songs lately, and it frustrates me that I can't express why. I love the English language, but dang it, sometimes it's just not adequate to express how I feel about some things. So when I fall in love with a song, I end up turning to someone and going, "AH! This part is so good...just..ah, man. And the way...this part. It just makes me feel..." See? No words. I can only hope that someone understands what I mean.
Anyway. That's my first Truth Tuesday. Unfortunately I have to get back to writing a blasted paper, so that's all I can write here for now. Stay tuned for another Austrian infused post soon! (Hopefully...)
Tschüss! :)
Naturally, I'm stealing the idea. And it's Tuesday. So, here it goes. It will probably just be a lot of random thoughts going through my head.
--I hate writing papers. Some would think I'm in the wrong major, but I don't think so. I love reading, analyzing, discussing...but writing papers on my analysis? No thanks. I'll happily write something creative, but no academic writing ever brings me joy.
--I love that Austria is becoming "home" for me. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm living here rather that just visiting here. It's going to be hard for me to leave.
--I can't believe how well some of my classmates can speak English. I'm learning German (which in my opinion is probably easier to learn than English) and I can't imagine being as fluent in German as they are in English. It's impressive.
--Sometimes I really feel like I'm not smart. I feel like there are a lot of people around me that can grasp concepts that are just so hard for me to understand. Maybe I don't apply myself enough. In fact, I'm sure I don't apply myself enough, because it bothers me that I don't. Of course, changing that is nearly impossible for me. Which also bothers me. I'm just bothered.
--I've been having this obsession with a couple songs lately, and it frustrates me that I can't express why. I love the English language, but dang it, sometimes it's just not adequate to express how I feel about some things. So when I fall in love with a song, I end up turning to someone and going, "AH! This part is so good...just..ah, man. And the way...this part. It just makes me feel..." See? No words. I can only hope that someone understands what I mean.
Anyway. That's my first Truth Tuesday. Unfortunately I have to get back to writing a blasted paper, so that's all I can write here for now. Stay tuned for another Austrian infused post soon! (Hopefully...)
Tschüss! :)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Ladies and Germs
Back to blogging about my adventures! Thanks for letting me take a slight break. :)
So, earlier this week I went to Neuschwanstein castle and München! Or Munich. I'm just trying to sound like I speak a little German. My friend Kelsey Barker from high school is studying in Germany so we met up in the middle at Neuschwanstein and traveled around together.
My first day started off a little hectic. I woke up with plenty of time to catch my train on Monday morning, got to the train station at around 6:15 (my train left at 6:35) and realized that I had left a very important paper at my apartment approximately 10 minutes away. This paper had a list of exactly every place I was supposed to transfer trains or buses. This is even more important because I had to get on one train, then switch trains, get off that train and on a bus, get off that bus onto another bus...and I had no idea where I was going or which stops to get off at. That paper told me where I was going. Therefore, I literally sprinted home, snatched the paper, sprinted back to the train station, and caught my train with about three or four minutes to spare. Thank heavens I did, otherwise I know I would have gotten lost.
From there I had one of the prettiest train rides ever. It was through a lot of foresty area and I got a great view of the Austrian countryside. I'll admit that until I arrived at the castle, I was completely nervous that I was going the wrong way, that I had missed my stop, that something would go wrong, everything. I couldn't relax until I was finally off the last bus.
When I got off that last bus, it was FREEZING outside. I got there before Kelsey, so I decided to explore some gift shops and touristy things like that. I bought myself a ridiculously overpriced hot chocolate and waited for Kelsey.
When Kelsey finally came she explained that she had overslept and that's why she was late, but it all turned out just fine. Mainly because she met some Australian guys on the train that were part of a tour group and they told her that we should tag along with them and just tip the tour guide at the end. So that's what we did. I need to take a side note here and describe to you our tour guide. He sounded EXACTLY like Norm MacDonald, and the more you listened to him the more he started to look like Norm MacDonald. Kelsey hit it right on the nose by saying "He's the American that American's make fun of." He would use all sorts of phrases that nobody in the States really uses seriously such as, "Let's boogie," and "Come here, Ladies and Germs," and "this is a hoot and a half..." and things like that. He talked way too much, but it made for a really good memory.
As for the actual tour of Neuschwanstein...holy cow. That place is incredibly beautiful. We hiked up to the castle and we were surrounded by trees that were changing colors and the temperature was perfect. We talked with the two Aussies, Matt and Brody, and we also met a couple, Roxy and Sammy, from California who had been backpacking through Europe for three months. We walked through the castle, which was really cool. King Ludwig II died while they were building it and they so stopped building right after his death and the castle is still unfinished. That made the tour a lot shorter than we all expected. That's okay, because the best part in my opinion was looking at the castle from the outside. We hiked to this bridge packed with people that looked out over Schwangau (the town) and waterfalls, and the castle. Breathtaking. Then we hiked further down to more waterfalls and streams and awesomeness. Gosh. It was amazing. I was so content.
From there we took a train back to Munich with the tour group we were with. It was about a two hour train ride back, but Kurt, our tour guide, talked to us almost the whole way back about the controversy surrounding Ludwig's death. It was pretty entertaining. We also discovered that Matt was staying in the hostel right next door to us, Brody was leaving on a train late that night, and the Californians were in a different hostel and were leaving for home the next day.
When we got back to Munich, we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags off, and met up with our friends for some dinner at an Italian place. It was interesting because we were in Germany, at an Italian restaurant, and the waiter kept speaking French to us. Multicultural dining, folks. After dinner, we exchanged information, said goodbye to our new friends, and decided to walk around Munich at night. It's a really cool city, and it was foggy which made the visual even cooler. All my pictures I took from that night look really creepy. We found the Hofbräuhaus, a really famous bar in Munich, and went inside for a little while. It was soo crowded, but we got a taste of classic Bavaria. There were women dressed in traditional German outfits carrying several hug mugs of beer, the floors were sticky, there was a Bavarian band playing, and people singing drinking songs...it was awesome. Since it was so crowded and we had already eaten, we decided to go back the next day for dinner.
So, we went back to our hostel. Lucky for us, there was a crappy Finnish cover band playing that night! Even more lucky for us, we were in a room with a terribly patched hole in the ceiling, so we could hear the music loud and clear as we tried to fall asleep. It was louder IN our room than outside of our room. I was really tired, so I didn't have that hard of a time falling asleep once I put my headphones in.
We woke up the next day and headed out to the city to walk around and take some more pictures in the daylight. We were planning on taking a tour of the concentration camp Dachau, but the tour didn't leave until about 11:15. It was a Catholic holiday so most of the churches were having mass. It was actually really cool to walk in and kind of watch some of the things that were going on inside the churches.
Then, we met up with Matt, our awesome Australian friend, and found the tour group. I ended up paying only 18 Euro for transportation there and back as well as a tour of Dachau. Pretty stinkin' good deal. I need to find more of these tour companies when I travel other places. We took a train, and then a bus up to Dachau. Kelsey and I sat next to these two Italian guys on the bus that knew VERY little English or German. So, he kept saying things like, "Italiano! Spaghetti! Si! Lasagna! Bella!" and we just laughed and repeated everything he said. It was really quite entertaining.
The tour of Dachau was something I'll never forget. It ended up being about a three hour tour or so. Our tour guide was this small little Irish guy that was very knowledgeable and had a very good way of explaining everything in the camp. It really was a spiritual experience being there, and it's kind of hard to explain the way I felt there, and I'm so glad I had the chance to go.
We didn't have too much time left after we got back because Kelsey and I both had trains to catch that night. We decided to head back to Hofbräuhaus to eat and then take off. Matt came with us and we all enjoyed a great, traditional meal together. Kelsey and I got great pictures of us drinking our non-alcoholic beverages (water for her, apple juice for me). Then we kind of lost track of time and ended up running to catch my train. I made it just fine, had a pleasant ride back to Innsbruck, and slept like a rock that night.
So there you have it! One of my adventures while being here. It was a really great trip. And in other news, I'm doing very well here. The homesickness is very, very minimal now and I'm going to be incredibly sad to leave this place. I'm only a few days away from the halfway point, which is crazy. It's a good thing I've got some pretty great things waiting at home for me, or I'd probably never leave.
Auf wiedersehen! :)
So, earlier this week I went to Neuschwanstein castle and München! Or Munich. I'm just trying to sound like I speak a little German. My friend Kelsey Barker from high school is studying in Germany so we met up in the middle at Neuschwanstein and traveled around together.
My first day started off a little hectic. I woke up with plenty of time to catch my train on Monday morning, got to the train station at around 6:15 (my train left at 6:35) and realized that I had left a very important paper at my apartment approximately 10 minutes away. This paper had a list of exactly every place I was supposed to transfer trains or buses. This is even more important because I had to get on one train, then switch trains, get off that train and on a bus, get off that bus onto another bus...and I had no idea where I was going or which stops to get off at. That paper told me where I was going. Therefore, I literally sprinted home, snatched the paper, sprinted back to the train station, and caught my train with about three or four minutes to spare. Thank heavens I did, otherwise I know I would have gotten lost.
From there I had one of the prettiest train rides ever. It was through a lot of foresty area and I got a great view of the Austrian countryside. I'll admit that until I arrived at the castle, I was completely nervous that I was going the wrong way, that I had missed my stop, that something would go wrong, everything. I couldn't relax until I was finally off the last bus.
When I got off that last bus, it was FREEZING outside. I got there before Kelsey, so I decided to explore some gift shops and touristy things like that. I bought myself a ridiculously overpriced hot chocolate and waited for Kelsey.
When Kelsey finally came she explained that she had overslept and that's why she was late, but it all turned out just fine. Mainly because she met some Australian guys on the train that were part of a tour group and they told her that we should tag along with them and just tip the tour guide at the end. So that's what we did. I need to take a side note here and describe to you our tour guide. He sounded EXACTLY like Norm MacDonald, and the more you listened to him the more he started to look like Norm MacDonald. Kelsey hit it right on the nose by saying "He's the American that American's make fun of." He would use all sorts of phrases that nobody in the States really uses seriously such as, "Let's boogie," and "Come here, Ladies and Germs," and "this is a hoot and a half..." and things like that. He talked way too much, but it made for a really good memory.
As for the actual tour of Neuschwanstein...holy cow. That place is incredibly beautiful. We hiked up to the castle and we were surrounded by trees that were changing colors and the temperature was perfect. We talked with the two Aussies, Matt and Brody, and we also met a couple, Roxy and Sammy, from California who had been backpacking through Europe for three months. We walked through the castle, which was really cool. King Ludwig II died while they were building it and they so stopped building right after his death and the castle is still unfinished. That made the tour a lot shorter than we all expected. That's okay, because the best part in my opinion was looking at the castle from the outside. We hiked to this bridge packed with people that looked out over Schwangau (the town) and waterfalls, and the castle. Breathtaking. Then we hiked further down to more waterfalls and streams and awesomeness. Gosh. It was amazing. I was so content.
From there we took a train back to Munich with the tour group we were with. It was about a two hour train ride back, but Kurt, our tour guide, talked to us almost the whole way back about the controversy surrounding Ludwig's death. It was pretty entertaining. We also discovered that Matt was staying in the hostel right next door to us, Brody was leaving on a train late that night, and the Californians were in a different hostel and were leaving for home the next day.
When we got back to Munich, we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags off, and met up with our friends for some dinner at an Italian place. It was interesting because we were in Germany, at an Italian restaurant, and the waiter kept speaking French to us. Multicultural dining, folks. After dinner, we exchanged information, said goodbye to our new friends, and decided to walk around Munich at night. It's a really cool city, and it was foggy which made the visual even cooler. All my pictures I took from that night look really creepy. We found the Hofbräuhaus, a really famous bar in Munich, and went inside for a little while. It was soo crowded, but we got a taste of classic Bavaria. There were women dressed in traditional German outfits carrying several hug mugs of beer, the floors were sticky, there was a Bavarian band playing, and people singing drinking songs...it was awesome. Since it was so crowded and we had already eaten, we decided to go back the next day for dinner.
So, we went back to our hostel. Lucky for us, there was a crappy Finnish cover band playing that night! Even more lucky for us, we were in a room with a terribly patched hole in the ceiling, so we could hear the music loud and clear as we tried to fall asleep. It was louder IN our room than outside of our room. I was really tired, so I didn't have that hard of a time falling asleep once I put my headphones in.
We woke up the next day and headed out to the city to walk around and take some more pictures in the daylight. We were planning on taking a tour of the concentration camp Dachau, but the tour didn't leave until about 11:15. It was a Catholic holiday so most of the churches were having mass. It was actually really cool to walk in and kind of watch some of the things that were going on inside the churches.
Then, we met up with Matt, our awesome Australian friend, and found the tour group. I ended up paying only 18 Euro for transportation there and back as well as a tour of Dachau. Pretty stinkin' good deal. I need to find more of these tour companies when I travel other places. We took a train, and then a bus up to Dachau. Kelsey and I sat next to these two Italian guys on the bus that knew VERY little English or German. So, he kept saying things like, "Italiano! Spaghetti! Si! Lasagna! Bella!" and we just laughed and repeated everything he said. It was really quite entertaining.
The tour of Dachau was something I'll never forget. It ended up being about a three hour tour or so. Our tour guide was this small little Irish guy that was very knowledgeable and had a very good way of explaining everything in the camp. It really was a spiritual experience being there, and it's kind of hard to explain the way I felt there, and I'm so glad I had the chance to go.
We didn't have too much time left after we got back because Kelsey and I both had trains to catch that night. We decided to head back to Hofbräuhaus to eat and then take off. Matt came with us and we all enjoyed a great, traditional meal together. Kelsey and I got great pictures of us drinking our non-alcoholic beverages (water for her, apple juice for me). Then we kind of lost track of time and ended up running to catch my train. I made it just fine, had a pleasant ride back to Innsbruck, and slept like a rock that night.
So there you have it! One of my adventures while being here. It was a really great trip. And in other news, I'm doing very well here. The homesickness is very, very minimal now and I'm going to be incredibly sad to leave this place. I'm only a few days away from the halfway point, which is crazy. It's a good thing I've got some pretty great things waiting at home for me, or I'd probably never leave.
Auf wiedersehen! :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Life is a Crappy Love Song
So, I'm kind of sure most people have been reading my blog lately to hear about my Austrian adventures (even though I'm terrible about posting them), which makes sense. But that means I need to give this post a disclaimer:
1.) This isn't going to be about Austria (which I am loving, by the way). I'll get back to that soon, I promise.
2.) This post is going to be boiling over with cheesiness, so if you hate love or hearing about love...don't read. You've been warned.
So. On with love.
Being 5,500-ish miles away from Kameron has been pretty tough. I don't regret coming to Austria one bit; I'm having the time of my life. But I wish he was here with me, experiencing all of these amazing places. However, as much as I wish he was in Austria right now, this whole experience has been incredible for me and for us. I feel like I appreciate him so much more than I did before I came. It has also been incredible that I haven't had to worry about how this trip will affect my relationship. I told that to my brother Chris and he said, "That's how you know you're in a real relationship." And I am. Basically, I thought the decision to marry him had already been confirmed to the highest extent. Then I came to Europe and it's been confirmed even more. I'm supposed to marry that curly-haired, goofy, happy, handsome man I have waiting patiently for me at home.
I'm usually not one for cliches. At least I try not to be. The only times I ever really use them (them = lovey-dovey cliche phrases) is when I'm saying something to Kameron in an email, text, or something and I honestly can't think of a better way to something I'm feeling. They're easy to fall back on (and sadly, they're usually very true). So instead, I found a couple quotes that say things much more eloquently than I could ever hope to. But, guys. I'm in love. In a really big way. And I want to tell you about it. So whether you read it or not: here are my amped-up cliches.
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are." --Captain Corelli's Mandolin
I love this quote. I still very much have times where I'm that stupid, giddy, excited girl in love. But I'm starting to feel that real love, which to me is much deeper. It's constant and it lasts. The only way I can think to explain it is complete comfort. I trust Kameron and I'm excited to work together in our marriage and have a blast in the process.
"Love is friendship set on fire." -Jeremy Taylor
Simply put, Kam is my best friend. We laugh at the stupidest things that I'm convinced NOBODY else in the world would find funny. One of the initial thing that attracted me to him was our ability to be completely sarcastic with each other. I'm always content doing absolutely nothing with him, and he's always the first person I think to tell if something funny/lame/sad/awesome happens to me. I'm pretty convinced we're going to have the greatest life and coolest family because we have so much fun together.
"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." -Sir Hugh Walpole
I didn't go looking to start dating Kameron. I had just BARELY gotten out of a relationship, and I wasn't really looking for anything. Yep...that changed, and it changed pretty quickly. I stumbled upon this love that has become a core part of my life now, but it wasn't an accident. Someone's looking out for me. Like I said earlier, I'm so excited to grow with this man.
"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." --Sam Keen
One night as I was falling asleep, the thought hit me how lucky I was to find a man that loves me despite my imperfections. Sometimes I'm hard on myself. I think I'm not good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, creative enough, kind enough...the list goes on. But despite these faults I find in myself, Kameron still loves me with his whole heart, sincerely. That's the biggest confidence booster a girl needs. Kameron isn't a perfect person, but he's the perfect person for ME and, in my opinion, that is perfect. We get to strive towards perfection together.
Thanks for reading my cheesy post, folks. I let Kameron know on a daily basis how grateful I am for him, but I think it's time I let everyone else know how crazy in love I am. I'm in a perfect place in my life right now, and I've never been happier. And in a little less than three months, I finally get to marry the man that's responsible for it.
Praise the heavens.
1.) This isn't going to be about Austria (which I am loving, by the way). I'll get back to that soon, I promise.
2.) This post is going to be boiling over with cheesiness, so if you hate love or hearing about love...don't read. You've been warned.
So. On with love.
Being 5,500-ish miles away from Kameron has been pretty tough. I don't regret coming to Austria one bit; I'm having the time of my life. But I wish he was here with me, experiencing all of these amazing places. However, as much as I wish he was in Austria right now, this whole experience has been incredible for me and for us. I feel like I appreciate him so much more than I did before I came. It has also been incredible that I haven't had to worry about how this trip will affect my relationship. I told that to my brother Chris and he said, "That's how you know you're in a real relationship." And I am. Basically, I thought the decision to marry him had already been confirmed to the highest extent. Then I came to Europe and it's been confirmed even more. I'm supposed to marry that curly-haired, goofy, happy, handsome man I have waiting patiently for me at home.
I'm usually not one for cliches. At least I try not to be. The only times I ever really use them (them = lovey-dovey cliche phrases) is when I'm saying something to Kameron in an email, text, or something and I honestly can't think of a better way to something I'm feeling. They're easy to fall back on (and sadly, they're usually very true). So instead, I found a couple quotes that say things much more eloquently than I could ever hope to. But, guys. I'm in love. In a really big way. And I want to tell you about it. So whether you read it or not: here are my amped-up cliches.
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are." --Captain Corelli's Mandolin
I love this quote. I still very much have times where I'm that stupid, giddy, excited girl in love. But I'm starting to feel that real love, which to me is much deeper. It's constant and it lasts. The only way I can think to explain it is complete comfort. I trust Kameron and I'm excited to work together in our marriage and have a blast in the process.
"Love is friendship set on fire." -Jeremy Taylor
Simply put, Kam is my best friend. We laugh at the stupidest things that I'm convinced NOBODY else in the world would find funny. One of the initial thing that attracted me to him was our ability to be completely sarcastic with each other. I'm always content doing absolutely nothing with him, and he's always the first person I think to tell if something funny/lame/sad/awesome happens to me. I'm pretty convinced we're going to have the greatest life and coolest family because we have so much fun together.
"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." -Sir Hugh Walpole
I didn't go looking to start dating Kameron. I had just BARELY gotten out of a relationship, and I wasn't really looking for anything. Yep...that changed, and it changed pretty quickly. I stumbled upon this love that has become a core part of my life now, but it wasn't an accident. Someone's looking out for me. Like I said earlier, I'm so excited to grow with this man.
"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." --Sam Keen
One night as I was falling asleep, the thought hit me how lucky I was to find a man that loves me despite my imperfections. Sometimes I'm hard on myself. I think I'm not good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, creative enough, kind enough...the list goes on. But despite these faults I find in myself, Kameron still loves me with his whole heart, sincerely. That's the biggest confidence booster a girl needs. Kameron isn't a perfect person, but he's the perfect person for ME and, in my opinion, that is perfect. We get to strive towards perfection together.
Thanks for reading my cheesy post, folks. I let Kameron know on a daily basis how grateful I am for him, but I think it's time I let everyone else know how crazy in love I am. I'm in a perfect place in my life right now, and I've never been happier. And in a little less than three months, I finally get to marry the man that's responsible for it.
Praise the heavens.
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