December Beginnings

A new favorite treat! The recipe is raspberry cream pie from Better Homes and Gardens, and it is very easy. Just a graham cracker crust (crumbs and butter) with a filling of whipping cream, cream cheese, and raspberry jam all mixed together and poured on top of the crust, then chilled in the freezer. Because I don't have a pie pan, I thought of using the cupcake pan! Then, because our freezer is so European sized (itty-bitty), the pan didn't fit :( So I put the pan in the fridge, hoping that the pies would firm up but they didn't. Thennnnn I had an excellent idea: I cleared everything out the freezer, and put the pan in at an angle and then the door closed! And these babies turned out perfectly!

Last Friday, 29 November, we went out to explore the Weihnachtsmärkt, or Christmas markets, and we were amazed: they really live up to the descriptions that people have given. There are dozens and dozens of booths like this one, selling crafts and decorations. Germans have said that the Bonn market is average sized, and that the markets in Berlin and Cologne are the biggest. Those cities also have several different locations with markets: some that are old fashioned, some that sell very fancy goods because they are located in the fashion districts, etc. Nate and I really liked the variety at the Bonn market, and we are planning to go back several more times.

It's a bit hard to tell, but these candles had amazing blends of color and we couldn't figure out how they were made.

We bought a drawing from this man. He etched or drew every single picture that he was selling! He spoke very good English and told us that he learned it when he was a hippie and traveled all over the world. I asked why he had chosen the Bonn Christmas markets, instead of Cologne or Seigburg (a city across the Rhine) and he said that the Bonn markets are more organized, and he only paid €2,000. In Cologne, he said a booth of his same size costs €10,000, for one month! 

One of the most remarkable buildings- it's probably 30 feet tall and very intricately decorated. And it is quite popular- it is one of the many places to buy beer!

These miniature buildings are a very popular decoration, and they are so cool because the fan around the top actually turns! Heat rises from little candles on the bottom level and that air pushes the blades around and around. We are looking for one to add to our collection that is pretty but not too expensive :)

You see that tall man in the background? That, friends, is Frank Apel, the CEO of DHL! Nate was very hesitant to talk to him, but after a pep talk from me, we said hello and told him that we liked being here in Bonn. He looked just like the rest of the Germans out enjoying Christmas, 

but Nate said he is a very intense businessman. 

We got super cold, so we went in to T.K. Maxx to warm up (yep, just like T.J. Maxx in the States. But the selection and clothing here is almost as nice as the Nordstrom Rack!). Nate was so nice, and he suggested that we look for some cute boots for me, so we picked out a few to try on! 

Well, maybe more than a few ;)

I really really really loved these boots but they were a size 39 and I'm a 36.5 :( We looked on every shelf and there were no other pairs, plus Nate went and asked. They are the brand Wrangler, and I did a bit of searching online, but haven't found them yet. So if you want to get me the perfect Christmas present, this is it! 

Post Tower, all lit up for Christmas! It switches, one row at a time starting at the bottom, from blue lights to red lights about every 10 minutes. 

I took this picture from the bus, but we will get some better ones in the next little bit.

Our Christmas tree! We decided save some money and get a small one so that we could get some nice decorations. This little baby was €8! And yes, Nate drove that tree home in his bike basket.

So European! Every time I see this picture, it makes me chuckle. After buying the tree, we needed to buy groceries and since the stores were close together but far from our apartment, we decided to risk it and leave the tree in the basket while we bought the food that we needed. Thankfully, Nate thought to take a picture :)

My genius contraption for how to take the next photo.

Our first attempt at a Christmas card. 

The background is definitely lacking, so we decided to relocate!

And finally, on Saturday, 1 December at a Christmas market in Köln!

iPhone Videos

Here is some footage of life around Bonn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT2ZGKVp4YA&list=PLR5r5HSCGzgS7H_2jEQkYGDblYWNKB07H&index=8 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiYYywuuzhs&feature=share&list=PLR5r5HSCGzgS7H_2jEQkYGDblYWNKB07H

link

link 

November 21-29

A family in the ward also lives in Bad Godesberg, and they gave us a ride home from church. Their son Tommy (14) has Down's Syndrome and he is so sweet. His dad is from Germany and his mom is from the US, so he speaks fluent English and German- amazing, right?! He absolutely adores to take pictures with the iPhone, and every time we ride with them, he asks "C-c-c-camera?!" and then we take pictures together. 

We decided to make silly faces, which he loved.

Not my best look, but he chose the face so I had to follow.

So fun! (After we get out of the car and go inside, I delete at least 40 pictures- Tommy has a trigger finger)

Nate, getting on his down coat before we went for a walk on a Sunday night. We love to wear our pajamas, get all bundled up, and then walk and look at the beautiful houses in our neighborhood. 

Thanksgiving dinner! A couple days before, I had found cilantro at a Farmer's Market, which is very difficult to find anywhere, and I really wanted to use it. I also wanted to try a recipe for spiced cilantro steak and since Nate and I rarely eat meat, I thought it would be fun to have. I was going to make the dinner on Wednesday night, but I had to go help my visiting teachee so it got bumped back, coincidentally to Thursday/Thanksgiving. Additionally, black beans in a can do not exist anywhere around here. So I had to soak the black beans and then cook them for a couple hours. This meal was a lot of work! But the Pico de Gallo salsa was so delish, and we really enjoyed everything. Got us excited for eating when we visit California! 

We love FaceTime! We talked with Nate's family right before they had their big meal :)

My first homemade pie! It was a lot of work, and it made me appreciate all of the berry cobblers that Sarah added crusts to the bottom, just because they taste so good. This was an apple pie from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and it wasn't too complicated. Just lots of steps. Nate had to teach me how to do the lattice top because I studied the pictures and couldn't figure it out. 

This is our friend Damon and his daughter Elyse. He is a pilot for Fed Ex and they are from California! They moved here a year ago, and they are the other American family in our ward. They made turkey and stuffing with Penzey's spices! And also sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie with natural ingredients- everything tasted so distinct and exactly how it was supposed to. A real Thanksgiving dinner!

These people are teachers at the Bonn International School and they are all American, so we had Thanksgiving on Saturday with them. It was so fun! They all have very interesting stories and we learned a lot about the culture of international schools. 

Our hostess, Suzie made everything look so festive! 

And Suzie also made the MOST delicious cranberry-walnut-orange relish to go with the turkey, and it was so good that, for the first time, I had seconds of turkey (just so I could have more relish).

November 11-20

Nate, Christof, Hamid, and Tyler before lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Because of the language barrier, we're not quite sure who are the home teachers and who are the home-teachees in this group, but Christof is just coming back in to activity after about 10 years of being away. Hamid, who is a chef at a Persian restaurant, made lots of food for everyone.

It was Christof's birthday - 11/11! - so I made lots of dessert. Death By Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake Cookies (with cream cheese frosting!)

He was so excited and surprised when we sang Happy Birthday :)

Christof said it was the first time in many years that someone had made him a cake for his birthday! And since I don't like cake that much, I didn't think it was a big deal. He was so happy, and had three slices! 

On our way to see the Warren Miller ski film "Flow State" in Dusseldorf

:)

Love this man!

I realized in September that it was almost Warren Miller season, and I have a very happy memory of going on a date to see the movie last year with Nate! So I went to their website, and found out that they tour all over the US and Canada, as welllll as Germany and the UK! So I surprised Nate with tickets.

The movie was in English, with German subtitles.

The crowd, at intermission. Around 60% of the people there were conservatively dressed and older than 30, unlike the Utah crowd. 

One of my favorite pictures, from an 80's Warren Miller film, of observers at a ski race.

Another 80's relic, ski dancing, was featured. The Germans loved it.

During this part, Nate leaned over to me and said, "Does this look enjoyable at all to you?" I said "No! But it's a pretty amazing shot!" That's how I feel about most of the skiing and locations in the Warren Miller films. Fun to watch and learn about, but not a culture that I ever want to live.

Christmas anticipation from Mother Dearest :)

November 1-10

Look who walks in my door every night, wearing this! 

The new face of DHL's Inhouse Consulting?

Nah, he can't keep a straight face :)

Thai Peanut sauce over egg noodles, kale, onions, and chickpeas! And limes, of course. Lime is one of my favorite flavors, and I have found a grocery store that carries this hard-to-find-in-Europe fruit. This has been a meal that we've talked about several times since we ate it, and I recommend it! I adapted it from one of these two food blogs http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/home/2012/8/16/pantry-peanut-sauce.html or http://voraciousvander.com/2011/11/22/peanut-chili-sauce/ (I can't remember which one! But I didn't include the red chili flakes in either because I haven't found those yet) I enjoy reading their posts, and I've tried a few other recipes from Voracious Vander. 

Our desk! I put it together all by myself! Same with the chair :)

Aaaand the add-on shelves, which I put together all by myself too! Since I will be spending lots of time at the desk to finish my Independent Study classes, and thus my BYU degree, I wanted to have a little more ownership. Plus Nate put together all of our furniture with about 10% of assistance from me.

I visit teach a woman named Eva and these are two of her children, Carmen (5) and Torbin (1.5). They don't speak any English, but they understood my funny face idea.

But then Carmen decided that she didn't want to smile again

The most perfect pesto we have ever had! I learned that the most important step is roasting but not burning the pine nuts- the flavor complimented the basil perfectly, and I was so surprised/pleased with myself! The recipe I used is from the cookbook "Our Best Bites" (it was a wedding present and I've liked several recipes that I've made from it)

Walking to the bus stop on Sunday morning! We leave our apartment at 8:35 am and it's a 40 minute bus ride, then 10 minute walk. Which is why I am carrying a cup of cereal in my left hand, and my makeup bag is in my purse!

Nate, waiting for the bus that you can see in the background and carrying his breakfast too! Anyone who has taken public transportation on a regular basis can understand the joy of sprinting to beat your bus or train, and then arriving at the stop with a minute to spare (and catch your breath!)