Today is Holly's birthday!

Holly is beautiful, hilarious, and generous beyond belief. I miss her dearly.

Have a happy birthday, hun! I wish I could be there to split a pitcher and laugh at your jokes. Instead, I'll be running through a field of J.P.s in your honour!

xoxo

The weather here in Frankfurt has taken a chilly turn. I think it's officially autumn, which suits me just fine. But colder weather means runny noses, and living with three kids means a continuous game of Pass What Ails Ya. The rules are simple:

1. Don't cover your mouth when you sneeze.
2. Touch everything, always. Even if it isn't yours.
3. Pretend to understand the importance of washing your hands when it is explained to you by an adult. And then proceed to only wash your hands at bedtime.
4. Have a much stronger immune system than everyone else, and watch as they suffer for days longer than you.

I spent the morning in bed with a gross sinus cold. So I had to depend on youtube to cheer me up. Enjoy my findings!

Don't tell me you didn't see this coming...

This wedding is guaranteed to be "practically perfect in every way"!

So typical.

I have just finished an entire pot of Tetley Tea, and now I'm watching Mary Poppins with the children. I think I need to buy a new umbrella.

And, naturally, I need to find my very own Dick Van Dyke. So I wondered if he had any hot, young, and eligable grandchildren...

Now looky who I found! Cha-ching! Oooo, he's a 25 year old artist!


Step 1: Meet Wesley.
Step 2: Woo Wesley.
Step 3: Have a Mary Poppins themed wedding with Wesley.

Auf Englisch, bitte!

time here: 22:30 / time at home: 4:30 pm

Here I am on a German adventure, and I thought you might like to follow along. Are you ready? Okay, let's go!

I'm sat here watching tv, while the children sleep. But the only English program on is I Love Money 2 on DeutscheMTV, so this seemed like a good time to overhaul the ol' blog. I've cleared out most of the nonsense posts, and hope you all find this a tolerable way of checking in on me and my trip. We all know how useless I am when it comes to replying to emails.

I've been here in Frankfurt for a week and a half, but it feels like so much longer! I've really bonded with the kids, settled into this beautiful house, and have become quite familiar with our lovely neighborhood. And as if that wasn't enough for my first week in a new country, I've also made friends! I know, right?!

Last Thursday I went to an au pair meet-up, and had a great time talking about work and life in Frankfurt over a few beers. The group is made up of awesome people from all over, and getting together with them is a guaranteed good time. We even had a wonderful Mexican Fiesta hosted by the gorgeous Kristen, and we're planning on having a different cultural feast each week. I already love these folks like you wouldn't believe, and I'm so grateful for their help in getting settled and comfy here.

Amy's Travel Tip #1: When you find yourself alone in a foreign bar, find a lovely couple/group who look as though they can probably speak English. Approach awkwardly and say, in your goofiest Canadian accent, "I feel like such a dork standing by myself. Would you mind if I joined you for a little bit?" Works like a charm.

I went out alone last Saturday night and met 5 people. So much for me being shy, eh? And I'm going to a rockabilly show tomorrow night, and hoping to meet a few more people. You're jealous, I know.

One of my new friends, "Frankfurt Derek"*, has been showing me around town. I've been shown the most important places: the craft store, the store where I can sell crafts, and the tattoo parlor. I'm all set. Today we met in Hauptwache, and I took the UBahn all by myself. You're proud of me, right? We went for tea, exchanged the last of my Canadian currency, and rode the longest escalator in Europe (which wikipedia has clarified as being the longest escalator in a European shopping mall, but I haven't got the heart to tell him. You should have seen his look of disappointment in my reaction to the tallest skyscraper in Europe!).

But best of all, we stopped at an English market stall that sold Tetley Tea! Seriously, the Germans do not know how to make tea. I was so happy to find it, even though it was super over-priced. But sweet baby jesus, it's delicious!

€ 3,80 for 40 teabags. I'm not even kidding. Send more. I'll pay you!

* "Why do you call him 'Frankfurt Derek'?" you ask... because they are bound to be best friends forever. Seriously, Derek. Come for a visit and you'll see! You two will be holding hands and skipping through the Schweizer Platz in no time!