Fall Colors

Well, fall is here. Usually I'm not a big fan of fall because I know that when fall comes, winter is not that far behind, and winter is my least favorite season. But this year the leaves seem to be exceptionally pretty, and we have had many days of beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the 70's and 80's. This makes me warm up to fall a little bit more. And I guess because I missed fall in the States last year while in Germany, I'm enjoying all that comes with fall a little more this year. Things like, pumpkin spiced lattes, the trees' beautiful colors, pumpkins sold along the roads, hot chocolate, cool nights, and the last few warm days of the year. Germany has fall, but I don't remember the trees being as beautiful last year, and I think the weather was very wet and cold.

On one of the nice days last week, I took some pictures of the beautiful colors around our house and in our hayfield. Pretty amazing, huh? I'd say fall is a notch higher on my list now.

Do you miss Germany?

This is a question I have been asked quite a bit since coming home from Germany, and I always answer this question with a definite "yes." But along with this "yes" comes a lot of mixed feelings and emotions. I miss Germany because of the friends, colleagues, and students I left there; because I miss speaking German every day; because of the beauty and history of Germany; because of some the aspects of German culture and lifestyle. But, of course, I always also tell people that I am glad to be home and closer to my family and friends. I'm glad to be moving on with my life by planning my wedding and looking for a full-time job, so basically persuing long-term and permanent aspects of life.

I often miss Germany the most when I get e-mails or letters from friends back in Germany or when I see a stranger who looks like someone I know from Germany and I think for a split second that it might be them. Or when I go to a local church that has Masses in German. And sometimes even when I'm driving in my car and something reminds me of my life there. It's hard to completely define the emotions I feel when I think about the life I had for ten months in a foreign country; the life I will never go back to. I guess it's like any part of life that we leave behind, like when graduating from college. But just like any adjustment in life, it can be difficult.

The Most Important Things

Kenny, two friends of mine, and me in Germany, drinking some good beer. And no, I'm not going to write about how beer is one of the most important things in life, sorry to disappoint anyone ;)

Long time no see, everyone! Sorry for my lack of writing...it shouldn't happen again, but I can't make any promises...

I've been thinking about weddings lately, not just because I'm planning my own, but also because it's the time in my life and the time of year when I'm going to a lot of weddings. And when I was at my most recent wedding, I realized that weddings help me to remember the most important things in life: God, family, friends, and relationships. Seeing the bride and groom surrounded by their family and friends, always reminds me of my own, and it reminds me to take time to spend time with them and grow in my relationships. I've often struggled with balancing work/school and the people and things outside of it (the more important things!) Often during college, I found myself working on school work to the point that I hardly had any social life and often regreting that I sat in my apartment writing papers and reading school assignments so many weekends. So particularly now, while I only have a part-time job and living with my parents, I'm trying to remember to strengthen my relationships with God, friends, and family. They're what's most important and what will stay the most constant in our lives.

Wedding Date

I get to marry this amazing, handsome man on MAY 26, 2012! I'm so blessed!

The weather is fine!

Here in the Ohio River Valley, it can get very hot and humid during the summer, particularly in July and August. Well, the temperature has been in the 90s with high humidity basically since I've been back in the U.S. on July 12th. But the past few days it has been cool in the morning and at night and in the 70s and 80s during the day. So I'm pretty happy about that! To celebrate the nice weather, I took some pictures of some scenes around my parents' house, where we've been living since I was eleven. My dad grew up here, and my grandparents live directly across the street now.

Enjoy the weekend!

The Waiting Game

I waited a long time to hear whether I could go here. This is the city of Nuernberg in Germany, which is where I taught English for ten months. I waited about 3 months to know whether my Fulbright grant application passed the first round. And when it did, I had to wait another 2.5 months to hear that I got the grant! Then I waited another month or so to know where exactly in Germany I would teach.

We all have to wait at different time in our lives, but I feel I've been doing a lot of waiting lately. First, the Fulbright grant, and now I'm waiting for another form of employment. Now that I'm back home in the U.S., I'm applying for jobs. This means that I've been waiting weeks to still hear back from potential employers. It's frustrating and annoying. And it makes me feel quite anxious somedays. But I guess we all have to do it sometimes, and hopefully it will pay off when I do get a job. I just have to have patience and trust in God and maybe stop checking my e-mail every twenty minutes

If you want to know more about my Fulbright grant, click here.

New Beginnings

Hiya! I'm Erin. Some of you might remember me from the blog Journeys Abroad. This was the blog that I kept while I was in Germany on a Fulbright grant as an English Teaching Assistant. I loved this experience, and I learned so much about Germany, the language, and the people. Here and there I'll write about my experiences in Germany, and update my previous readers about my last month in Germany. But now I am back home in the U.S., starting a new life. I recently got engaged, I'm applying for jobs, and living back at home with my parents and sisters. So this blog is bascially about my life and the things that happen in life. Quite simple. But I think the little things in life are what we all share, and through the little things I think we can relate to one another the best. So here's me! Oh and my fiance*, Kenny!

*I do know how to spell this word, but Blogger wouldn't let me put the accent on fiance...