Loving on America

I have been soaking up all things America for the last three days...and loving it all. I have probably drank my body weight in fruit tea and have tried to make up for the last year in freezing Germany by spending my days by the pool with friends...but here are a few pics to show some of the other great parts of being home.

 My hilarious welcome team at the airport!

Our lovely front door, complete with American flag!

A cool sign advertising how much we love Nashville!

The worlds worst pup, Aunt Bea, who has already been skunked since I arrived home!

xoxo

Departure

I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to America.

I am overcome with exhaustion. I'm not sure if it's from packing up my entire apartment alone in the summer heat, a week full of going away parties and sad goodbyes, or if the on-the-go lifestyle I've somehow maintained for the past 12 months has finally caught up with me. I think it must be a combination.

As I tiredly paced through security, the woman asked for my computer in German and I handed it to her, then she asked for my boarding pass in German, saw my US Passport and quickly switched to English. I said, "alles gut, ich spreche deutsche und English!" And, for some reason, that little conversation really struck me with how much has changed in my life in the past year. And I know it all sounds so cliche. And Sure, I have gained experience and traveled to new places, but I have also acquired the confidence to establish a life for myself in a new country, learn the language, and make friends. And, with that realization, I was proud of myself.

xoxo

"But I'm Leaving You for Tennessee..."

All my bags are packed!

I read this moving article just after I graduated from Wake Forest last May, and combined with the understanding that I'd probably never again live with as many friends close by or have the luxury of so much time to spend with said friends and anxiously anticipating my move to Germany, I could not have agreed more with this statement...

"We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life."

And though I cannot express how glad I am that I spent this year in Germany, and I am aware of how much it added to my life in countless and indescribable ways, the most difficult part by far was dealing with the loneliness. it is just hard to feel isolated, particularly in a small town where you are far from fluent in the language. and for that reason, I am excited to be moving back to Nashville tomorrow. it has been an amazing year and there are so many aspects of my life here that I will miss dearly, but the feeling of lonliness just isnt one of them. 

For the first time in more than five years, Nashville will be home. Nashville is always home, but lately it's been the home I love to miss. And, as of tomorrow, it will be my permanent residence.

Friends, see you soon and see you often!

xoxo

End of an Era

Today was, sadly, my last day at The Dragon School. 

The kids have been as wild as ever with summer break approaching, but they have also been affectionate and cuddly, knowing that I was leaving soon. I let them do all their favorite activities this week, like baking brownies, playing Set, and using me as their personal jungle gym. So it made for a very fun last few days...

 

I sure will miss these little dragons. But, on the bright side, I was ecstatic when I left my final Wednesday staff meeting yesterday! It is crazy to think that a whole year has passed since I moved to good ole Wald-Michelbach.

xoxo

Better Late than Never...

Over the past two months, I have finally gotten to be good friends with two German guys that are my own age! Twenty-somthings are a rare breed here in Wald-Michelbach. But better late than never, right?! It has been so wonderful. They are, coincidentally, both named Martin (although one goes by Hippie...) and they have broadened my horizons and experiences in good ole Odenwald.

I originally met them because they are the Boy Scout leaders of one of my students. Despite the fact that they say they can only understand 80% of my english and laugh at how bad my accent is when I speak German, we became fast friends. We have spent countless evenings at BBQs with their guitars, they have introduced me to the nightlife in Heidelberg, taken me to festivals around Odenwald, showed me the quarry in Wald-Michelbach and the lake in Weinheim, and even done huge favors like picking up Eleanor and Kevin from the airport and driving me to the train station at the crack of dawn. In addition to adding a lot of fun to my life here, Martin and Martin have taught me about German culture (and improved my German too!).

I will be sad to say goodbye to them so soon, but they are about to embark on a year-long backpacking trip around Europe, so we are all off to new adventures!

xoxo

Birthdays: My Style

I am really not a big fan of my birthday. I love celebrating friends' birthdays, but not my own. I feel like its kinda like New Years Eve for me...always a lot of hype and you end up sad because it was a let down. I also do not like being the center of attention, so even when my sweet friends and family do nice things to celebrate me, I am always a little uncomfortable. So, in recent years, I have devised a plan that suits me perfectly for my day of birth. And this year was perfect.

It all started three years ago when I was working at Camp DeSoto and they happened to celebrate the 4th of July (my favorite holiday) on June 30th. It was a fantastic day...and I realized that the best way to celebrate is to have an exceptionally fun day planned, but not anything that was particularly me-focused or birthday related. The next year, I miraculously swung it to see Mumford and Sons in Hyde Park, London on June 30th. Last year, all my friends were in town for a wedding, so we spent the day relaxing in my backyard pool with margaritas, before heading off to the wedding where I caught the bouquet. So, this year, I devised a plan to be in the glamourous South of France visiting family friends.
 

I originally did not even want to tell them it was my birthday, but I forgot that I was already Facebook friends with the boys, so they knew and all gave me their well wishes! But, it was just an amazing day of attending church in their beautiful 16th century church, walking around the vibrant town of Aix, visiting the gallery, french sandwiches with fun French company for lunch, walking their pet horse by Mount Saint Victorie, an afternoon nap, a delicious dinner on the terrace, all while having incredible and thought-provoking conversation. It was just one of those days that you could relive a thousand times and never get enough of...so what more could I ask for on my birthday?!

  

And of course, all the sweet cards from home, the instagrams, the snap chats, the cake from my students, the texts and happy wishes from friends and family afar all made the day that much better!

  

xoxo

Art in the South of France

I could share a million photographs and write hundreds of blog posts, but it still would not adequately depict the wonderfulness of my weekend in Aix en Provence. And since this is already my second trip to Aix,  I will just share the two posts about two wonderful things: Art and Birthdays.

The original reason I got the idea to return to Aix en Provence this weekend was for the art show of Jill, Serge, and Sergio. 

The show was phenomenal. It was in an old stone gallery that was tucked off a main street in Aix, overlooking the cloister of the beautiful Cathedral. There was a garden area outside where they displayed too. Because all three of them were displaying their work, which included paintings, sculptures, and lithographs, there was so much to take in and enjoy. Here are a few photographs to give you an idea of the adorable style that was created by the work of the Steenhuis/Ruffato family.

 

I also loved their studio in their beautiful French home. And I just could not get enough of Jill's beautiful paintings that capture the beauty of Provence so eloquently.

  

And I will leave you with an inspiring Cezanne quote that Jill shared with me this weekend, "Art exists to make one taste the eternal."

xoxo