Home... say it with me now... HOME!!!!

Our schedule looked a little like this:

Friday: Leave for CLT at 7:25am. Arrive approximately 14 hrs later at 3:40pm EST. As soon as we arrive, Billy heads out for a wedding rehearsal and dinner. I take off for the nail salon with Maggie and SARAH ANN NOLAND! After getting my nails done, I met Magda for dinner at The Wine Loft, went to TJ Maxx and Walmart, and got to see her fabulous place and sleep in her most comfortable bed!

Saturday: Hair, makeup, wedding, wedding reception, wedding after party (aka BREAKFAST CLUB!)... my friends, Magda, Diana, Sarah Ashley, Nahir, Celita, Joe, Malcolm, and Chang all came to dance the night away with us! Not to mention my Boo, Tiffany Lemmons, came in for the wedding!

Sunday: Football at Fox & Hound where Nahir and Celita met us for food and beer

Monday: Dentist, doctor, ... ohh wait, actually these appointments were on Tuesday, but we showed up for them on Monday. Geez. We decided to go to TJ Maxx, Target, Radioshack, Game Stop, Taco Bell (twice), and Panera Bread instead.  We spent the evening with Billy's family, and then went out for Monday night football... the drinks went down way too easy this night!

Tuesday: Errands and travel to Raleigh.

Wednesday: Hiking with mom, Burger King night with Butch.

Thursday: Shopping, hiking, chili night! My friends Sarah Keagy and Marc Bachman joined us!

Friday: More hiking and shopping... dinner out at a Mexican Restaurant... and a WILD night out with Marc.

Saturday: Wake up way too early, with way too much of a hangover, and drive to Charleston, SC for another wedding. While we felt terrible on the way down, we thoroughly enjoyed the wedding... so beautiful and two amazing people!

Sunday: Up early to drive to Winston-Salem. Unfortunately my Nana died the day we flew in, but I felt fortunate that I could attend the funeral. I also got to see so many of my cousins that I absolutely adore. The funeral was sad, moving, and genuine. After the funeral we drove to Raleigh and spent one last night with my mom.

Monday: Drove to Lynchburg and practiced my Voyager presentation.

Tuesday: Work in Lynchburg, Voyager presentations, and a long night out with my fellow Voyagers... Operation Megatron!

Wednesday: Drive to Washington, DC, dinner at the amazing Founding Farmers, PERFORMANCE OF LES MISERABLES!; and drive to Lexington Park, MD.  I saw the best Jean Valjean (J. Mark Mcvey) I have ever seen in this performance!!!

Thursday: We spent the night with Tiffany and the day scoping out the Chesapeake Bay area. We saw two bald eagles!!! We went out with Tiffany and her neighbors that night where I threatened to put on my new Jordans.

Friday: We had brunch with Tiffany and then took the 8 hour drive back to Charlotte.

Saturday: One last Wal-mart trip... and Billy got his one last Arbys fix while I took in a double dose of Panera Bread.

Goodbye for now Charlotte... we love you!!!!!!!

Wohin ist die Zeit gegangen?

Wow. I do not know where the time has went. I cannot believe the last time I posted we were still wearing summer clothes! We left 70 degree weather in Germany on September 30th, and returned two weeks later to winter weather!

Since the last time I posted, we have been really, really busy. It started mid-September when Joe and Andrea DeVoe came to visit the Earlys. We spent September 10 with them in Bayreuth. We took a short train ride to get there, and spent time walking around the capital of upper Franconia. The composer, Richard Wagner, lived there most of his life, and it has an amazing Opera House. The Richard Wagner festival hall up on a hill just outside of town was absolutely beautiful.

It was difficult to be fully involved though because Red Bull was holding their biggest BMX event in Nürnberg on the same day.  We got to see the preparation, and they built ramps and jumps all over the inner city... even coming out of the castle! It only comes every few years to only three European cities and Nürnberg was one! However we really wanted to spend time with Andrea and Joe - two of the best people you can find.  Some pictures below are of the Red Bull event.

Sunday we headed out to the Volksfest in Nürnberg where we drank many a maß of beer, ate lots of food (even a blooming onion!), rode an awesome ride, danced on tables, and topped the night off with fireworks! It was nice to remember September 11 with veterans and their families.

The following week Billy took his FOURTH trek to Amsterdam with a group of friends, and I looked after the little Goosey. We closed out the week with the Kärwa in Kraftshof (the small village in which Billy and I live). A kärwa is the same thing as a Kirchweih - if you are familiar with that term - and dates back to the 1800s and is planned around the holiday for the first patron saint of the church. Now it is mostly a beerfest.

 

 The following week, I traveled to Kansas City for work, and the city really surprised me... beautiful! Maggie came up on Wednesday and Thursday of that week to go out to dinner with me for my birthday... <3.

We finally went home on September 30, and we could barely contain our excitement the week leading up to our departure...

We did manage to celebrate my birthday at our favorite local bar, Kanapee, and we got together with friends to watch football.  I LOVE surprises, and I am fortunate enough here to have a few friends that took the time to surprise me at the football game with cupcakes (even confetti!!), party hats, and gifts... and not just any gifts: wine, TREE earrings, and an 80s mix (MY FAVORITE THINGS)!!! During half-time of the game, we watched an episode of House Hunters International starring our friends, The Johns!  Crazy, right?!?!?! You can read about it here: http://comingtogermany.blogspot.com/2011/09/finally.html, and here: http://comingtogermany.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-wrap.html, and here: http://comingtogermany.blogspot.com/2011/04/fun-surprises.html, and here: http://comingtogermany.blogspot.com/2011/03/we-were-almost-starskinda.html.

I also got in one last dinner with the ChicHaus.

Friday, bright and early, we hopped on our plane for the USA!