Superbowl in Miami & 1st week in Hollywood

We just came back from a great Superbowl party in Fort Lauderdale with about 20 great Americans that we didn't know before. My German friend Tanja and her American husband Ben took us with them and we had a blast.... and waaaaay too much food!!! :)

The team that we were for won! GOOOO SAINTS! I actually looked forward to the Superbowl since everybody had told me about the commercials the big companies create especially for this event, but I have to say that only a few of them were actually good. Some were just really dumb!

We've also been a week in our new apartment today. This place is freakin' awesome!!! I made a good choice. After sleeping in the floor for two nights we also got a bed... king size and European... from IKEA... That's all the furniture we've got so far though which still leaves a lot of space in this place. Oh yes, and I got a plant!!! I picked a Jasmin, as I love it when it blooms.

AND: Andrew and I drove to the animal shelter in Pompano Beach today and I adopted a cat! It was heartbreaking to see these kitties in the small cages they were in and all of them started meowing and purring and tried to get our attention, but in the end we had to decide on one. I took the adoption card from a cage with a completely black male cat in it and when I took it off the door, he wanted to play with my fingers. Very cute one, a little quieter than some of the others though.

The bad thing is that MY cat has to sleep in the shelter for another 3 nights. :( My adoption went through, I had to pay a deposit, but they basically will get him "ready" by Wednesday. Probably some final check ups and bureaucracy. I'm sooo looking forward to get him out of there and have an addition to our small German/American family :)

So far, the new year is still going great. I'll post some pictures soon!

Now good night! New work week ahead!

12 hours...

... and we'll get the keys!!! Waaaaah!!! :)))

1st month rent free is the best thing... plus the vaulted ceilings of course... and the roman bath tub and and and... :)

As you can tell, I am very excited to finally have my own 4 walls again after 20 months without them. It is the best present I can give myself for my 1 year anniversary in the States which will be approaching in 3 weeks. And it gets even better when I have somebody moving in with me that I care about a lot.

Today we started looking around for things (furniture and other stuff) and went to IKEA. I am one of the few people that hates that place, BUT still we got some things from there, like a proper duvet with changeable covers, kitchen utensils and we will definitely get our bed from there as well and IT IS NOT going to have a box spring. Ha! :)

I was able to find somebody cover half of my shift at work tomorrow, so I'll get out after lunch. My plan for after: Cross the street and enter the local Home Depot to buy a PLANT! If anybody knows the movie "The Professional" (Leon der Profi) - that is me! I need to have a plant around me. Something else that is alive apart from some human beings. I had one when I was working for Lidl in Germany and traveled from hotel to hotel with it, but had to abandon it in the last hotel when I got fired. I know that it sounds crazy, but I always hoped that somebody took care of my plant after. ;) Anyways, I didn't have a real plant around for a year now, so I'm all happy to get one.

Going to the apartment afterwards and starting the move. I have 21 days left in my old place, but we plan on spending the night in the new place tomorrow already and I have nothing holding me back to move out as fast as possible.

It's going to be fun!!!

By the way, I love the pictures from you guys up in Northern Germany with all that snooooow!!! :)

Time for change...

... but for nothing else!

Oh, shame on me for not posting for sooo long. I started writing about my Europe trip offline one day, but it got longer and longer and then turbulences came along the way which made me focus on other things and also my late evenings that used to be free time, were all of a sudden filled... ;)

So, 1st: The big Taaaadaaaaa...

Jenny's got a boyfriend! Real American originally from Reno, Nevada, in SoFlo for 2 years already. To the surprise of many he is my age (24) and 2 inches shorter. Hahaha! But such a cutie :). His name is Andrew by the way.

He's the best thing that happened to me in a long time. I got flowers sent to my workplace for example and on a bad day he just came by the restaurant with a huge teddy bear on the passenger seat of his car which was holding chocolate... Last Saturday he then showed up all dressed up in black with a white tie (sooo handsome!) and rose coloured roses in his hands. My customers started clapping! :)

Now from all you Americans... let's hear a big AAAAAWWWWW!!! ;)

The 2nd big Tadaaaaa...

Andrew and I are moving together! Yes, that's quite quick, but so cool! My roommate gave me some trouble after Andrew spent the night over here once. He wanted to forbid me any more overnight visits and gave me huge drama. Andrew is the 1st person I ever brought to this place since I live here, I pay a good amount of rent and my roommate's girlfriend sleeps over a lot, but I shouldn't do the same!??? That's some big BS right there. Anyways, it added up to the other things that I was getting tired off and I looked at apartments, found MINE yesterday and signed the Lease today. Yeeeehaw!

I'll be getting the keys on Monday and since we met in Hollywood, FL, we are going to move to Hollywood, FL - which is like right around the corner from where I live now. Gated community overlooking a golf course. It's a pretty spacious 2/1 with high-higher-highest ceilings. I'm sooo excited to have my - our own place over here in the USA!


And more information: Work has been a mess! One Up and Down since returning from the XMAS vacation, which made me question where I stand. I don't want to get into detail, but it's been CRAZY. We still love each other though! Anyhow, now that I'm not living my life over here so lonely anymore, I work too many (or too stupid) hours and it's time for a change of my job situation. My last day at Toss Up will be the 13th of next month and I'll volunteer for them at an event on the 14th again and then I'm outta there! Let's see where the road takes me. I'm very optimistic about this change!

Well, I hope that explains where I've been for the last couple of weeks. I'm still alive and well. Next month I'll be busy moving in, so no worries if it takes longer again until you hear from me.

Thanks to all you guys that still read my blog!!! :)

The Queen is back from Vegas!

And once again I returned back home. My flight arrived today at 7 AM in Miami. I then picked up my friend from Fort Lauderdale airport (we both flew out of Las Vegas at 11:30 PM last night but with different destinations) and now I'm in my bed at home fixing to get some sleep. The two hours on the plane were just not enough.... I promise you'll get an update about what happened in the last couple of weeks soon. I'm still OFF work til 01/04/10!

Me somewhere in Vegas!

Und mal wieder bin ich zurueck zu Haus. Mein Flieger landete heute morgen um 7 Uhr in Miami. Anschliessend bin ich zum Flughafen in Fort Lauderdale gefahren meinen Freund abholen. Wir sind beide gestern Nacht um 23:30 Uhr in Las Vegas losgeflogen, nur eben mit unterschiedlichen Zielflughaefen (ich flug Non-Stop, er via Atlanta). Nun bin ich in meinem Bett und werde mir erstmal ein wenig Schlaf goennen. Die 2 Stunden im Flugzeug waren einfach nicht genug... Ich schwoere, dass ich euch ganz bald ein Update ueber die Ereignisse der letzten Wochen gebe. Ich hab ja noch bis 4. Januar 2010 URLAUB! :)

Back Home

Short Update: I just arrived back home in SoFlo.

All I can say to this trip: It was the most exhausting, most eventful and most successful trip I've ever been on in my whole life! Just WOW!

I'll post details later. All bad that could've happened, happened, and so did all good. The good outweight the bad in the end and all that matters is...

I'm FREE in the land of the FREE now and very very very happy! Congrats even came from the immigrations officer at the airport in Miami. :)


By the way, as if I haven't traveled enough in the last 4 weeks...

I'M FLYING TO LAS VEGAS IN 4 DAYS!!!!!!! :)

More about that later on as well.

Oh boy, my life...... Gotta love it!!!!!

Life is sooo good!

Did you know!? I live in the currently warmest spot in the whole United States of America! To celebrate that I should do a little dance at the beach tomorrow morning, don't you think!? ;)

And more news:
On the 5th of December I'm going to be the longest away from Germany that I have ever been. During my exchange year 02/03 I didn't set foot on German ground for 286 days. This Saturday I will beat it with 287 days. I will not reach 300 days though, because...

I'm going to Germany!!!

My airplane departs on 13th of December, because my presence in a German court is required on the 17th. Although I'm happy to see my family and although this trip will mean I will enter 2010 as a FREE & very happy woman, I'm not really looking forward to it, because I'm looking at freezing my butt off and who would enjoy that!??? Honestly, it will be a challenge to be back in this cold weather, but hey, I guess some Gluehwein will help me out!

I'll fly a not so typical route this trip. Into Berlin, out of Frankfurt going to London, spending 2 days in England and flying straight back from London to Miami. I thought since I'll be over there anyways, why not do some shopping!? I love shopping in England and maybe I'll get to see some of my friends from when I lived over there.

I love my boss for letting me take off so unexpectedly. Although my brain is demanding a change in jobs quite frequently as it would like to be used more, my customers that tell me how much they love me and how great I am and the fact that I've got all holidays off and will get 1 1/2 weeks for XMAS and this extra week right before XMAS, although working in the hospitality industry where this is quite uncommon, make me want to keep it!

To get a little XMAS feeling and get ready for the German XMAS markets, I already had some Spekulatius in Curacao (yes, they had all the lovely European candy there!) and I'm now being forced to listen to XMAS music 9h a day at work!

Jingle bells, jingle bells........


Wusstest du schon!? Ich wohne in der momentan am waermsten Gegend der gesamten Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika! Um das zu feiern sollte ich morgen frueh an den Strand und einen Tanz auffuehren, meinst du nicht!??? ;)

Und mehr Neuigkeiten:
Am 5. Dezember ist der Tag an dem ich mich jemals am laengsten ausserhalb Deutschlands aufgehalten haben werde. Waehrend meines Austauschjahres 02/03 betrat ich fuer 286 Tage keinen deutschen Boden. Am Samstag werden es nun 287 Tage sein. Die 300 Tage werde ich allerdings nicht erreichen, denn...

Ich fliege nach Deutschland!!!

Mein Flieger geht am 13. Dezember rueber, da meine Anwesenheit vor einem deutschen Gericht am 17. verlangt wird. Obwohl ich gluecklich bin, meine Familie wiederzusehen und diese Reise bedeutet, dass ich ins Jahr 2010 als FREIE und sehr glueckliche Frau starten werde, sehe ich diesem Trip nicht wirklich entgegen, dass es bedeutet, dass ich mir den Hintern abfrieren werde und wer mag das schon!??? Ganz ehrlich!? Es wird eine Herausforderung in dieses kalte Wetter zu reisen, aber hey, ein ordentlicher Gluehwein wird mir da schon aushelfen!

Ich werde eine etwas ungewoehnlich Route fliegen. Hinzu nach Berlin, dann von Frankfurt aus nach London, wo ich 2 Tage verbringen werde und dann von London aus direkt nach Miami zurueck. Ich dachte mir, wenn ich schon mal da drueben bin, dann kann ich auch gleich noch nach England zum Shoppen. Ich liebe Shopping in England und vielleicht sehe ich ja auch einige meiner Freunde wieder, die ich noch von meinem Studienaufenthalt dort habe.

Ich liebe meine Chefin dafuer, dass sie mich so super kurzfristig hat freinehmen lassen! Obwohl mein Gehirn des Oefteren einen Fassadenwechsel im Job einfordert weil es gerne ein wenig mehr genutzt werden wuerde, lassen mich meine Kunden die mich lieben und sooo toll finden und die Tatsache, dass ich alle Feiertage frei hatte und 1 1/2 Wochen ueber Weihnachten und nun auch noch die extra Woche vor Weihnachten frei bekomme (trotz Arbeit im Gastgewerbe), meinen Job behalten wollen!

Um ein wenig in Weihnachtslaune zu kommen und um fuer die deutschen Weihnachtsmaerkte gewappnet zu sein, habe ich mir auf Curacao schon ein paar Spekulatius gegoennt. Jaa, die hatten dort all die wunderbaren europaeischen Suesswaren. Gleichzeitig werde ich nun auf Arbeit taeglich gezwungen 9h Weihnachtsmusik anzuhoeren!!!

Jingle bells, jingle bells......

Another paradise discovered.

Curacao was amazing! Beautiful scenery. Beautiful weather.

My hotel room included the best bed I've ever slept in on the American continental side of the world. It was quite tough to leave it every day! I cruised the island in my island "car" - a Suzuki Alto. I nicknamed it "Jimmy the Go Kart". After driving daily for 9 months on at least 5-lane highways, the bumpy single lane island roads were pretty scary in the beginning, but I adapted quickly to the interesting rollercoaster ride roads the island has to offer. Lots of fun when driving a Suzuki Alto and even more fun to find MY car, when it seems like the whole island drives the same. The local people not as happy as I pictured them for the Southern Caribbean. I smiled more!!! The local businesses equipped with way to many employees - all lots of time for chit-chatting with each other. Profitability!? The local language - Papiamentu. Interesting to listen to. Sounds like Afrikaans-Chinese with a note of Spanish blended in Dutch and English... ;)
500 pictures taken. Felt like cliff diving several times. It took a lot not to.
Met: 16 Canadian military fellas on the island for some training, a very attractive (not to say HOT!!!) US firefighter and his friends working on Curacao for a year, several crabs - from sandish yellow to black, 2 iguanas whom I distracted from eating fruit and about 5.000 lizards all in the area of the Hato Caves.
Was able to pay everywhere in USD, but am now proud owner of some Netherlands Antillean guilder (or florin), which means I'll be back, definitely, especially when I get my diver's license one day. This vacation's read: Peter G. Peterson - "The education of an American Dreamer". It's a very good biography.

Now, back in the States where I had to submit all my 10 fingerprints and a picture again upon entry - the officer with a smirk in response to my possibly slightly annoyed face: "only a couple more times until your citizenship!" Yes. Indeed! Can't wait! Only 4 years and 2 1/2 more months and estimated 120 fingerprints.

Curacao war traumhaft. Wunderschoene Landschaft. Wunderschoenes Wetter.
Mein Hotelzimmer beinhaltete das beste Bett in dem ich je innerhalb der amerikanischen Kontinente geschlafen habe. Es war ziemlich schwer, das jeden Tag zu verlassen! Die Insel durchfuhr ich in meinem Insel"auto", einem Suzuki Alto. Ich gab ihm den Sitznamen "Jimmy das Go Kart". Nachdem ich taeglich fuer 9 Monate auf einem mindestens 5-spurigen Highway unterwegs war, veraengstigten mich die kleinen, huckeligen, einspurigen Inselstrassen anfangs ein wenig, aber ich gewoehnte mich schnell an die interessanten Achterbahnstrassen, die die Insel zu bieten hat. Macht sehr viel Spass wenn man einen Suzuki Alto faehrt. Noch mehr Spass macht es MEINEN Wagen zu finden, wenn es scheint als faehrt die ganze Insel den selben Wagen. Die einheimische Bevoelkerung nicht so gut drauf wie ich mir das fuer die Suedkaribik vorgestellt habe. Ich habe definitiv mehr gelaechelt!!! In den oertlichen Geschaeften viel zu viele Angestellte. Die hatten massig Zeit fuer Gruppengeplauder. Profitabel ist das nicht gerade. Die Landessprache: Papiamentu. Sehr interessant! Hoert sich an wie Afrikaans-Chinesisch mit einem Schuss Spanisch gewuerzt mit Englisch und Niederlaendisch... ;)
500 Bilder geschossen. Fuehlte mich etliche Male nach Klippen-Springen. Musste mich arg zurueck halten. Getroffen habe ich: 16 Kanadische Militaertypen zum Training auf der Insel, einen sehr attraktiven (um nicht zu sagen HEISSEN!!!) amerikanischen Feuerwehrmann und seine Freunde, die fuer 1 Jahr auf Curacao arbeiten, etliche Krabben - von sandgelb bis schwarz gefaerbt, 2 Iguanas die ich vom Fruechteessen abhielt und geschaetzte 5.000 Eidechsen alleine im Bereich der Hato Hoehlen.
Ich konnte ueberall in USD bezahlen, bin nun aber stolzer Besitzer ein paar Niederlaendischer-Antillen-Gulden (Florin), was bedeutet, dass ich zurueck komme, definitiv, besonders wenn ich mal irgendwann meinen Tauchschein mache. Meine Urlaubslektuere: Peter G. Peterson - "Die Bildung eines Amerikanischen Traeumers". Sehr gute Biographie eines Mannes der es weit gebracht hat.

Nun wieder in den Staaten wo ich zur Einreise mal wieder meine 10 Fingerabdruecke und ein Foto abgeben durfte. Der Beamte hatte ein ziemliches Grinsen im Gesicht als Antwort auf meinen leicht genervten Gesichtsausdruck zu diesem Prozedere und meinte "nur noch ein paar mal bis zu deiner Staatsbuergerschaft." Ja. Genau! Ich kann's nicht erwarten! Nur noch 4 Jahre 2 1/2 Monate und geschaetzte 120 Fingerabdruecke.

Me, happy in Curacao and RELAXED RELAXED RELAXED!