The Country with Many Former Names

(Favorite photo of the day taken from the top of the colorful tower you see in the photos below. I climbed to the top!)

Today we were feeling sassy. We took our students on a trip to the Czech Republic. Formerly we had planned to go to Rothenburg. However, our bus driver from our Berlin-Dresden-Seiffen-Vilshofen trip suggested a city in the Czech Republic that was closer and just as cool. So we did it.

I enjoyed being in the Czech Republic. Although the language was completely impossible to understand, there were many people there that spoke German or English, which made it much simpler to get around. It was crazy seeing prices upwards of 100's of Czech Kronen for a simple souvenir! I felt like I was getting a good deal on everything when I was able to divide by 25 to figure how much it cost in Euros. My lunch was the only time I got swindled. I had fairly small portions and ended up paying twice for my drink. All in all it cost me 20 Euros, which is around $28. Lesson learned!

Here are a few pictures from the day in the Czech Republic...

Worth More than a Thousand...

All in all, I've had a fun time in the 2 weeks I've already been in Germany. We've been to 4 German states, and 1 other country. Tomorrow we're going to the Czech Republic with our students. We're in our home stays now with our exchange families and it's nice to be settled down! Here are a few pictures from just a few places we've been the last few weeks. Still 2 more weeks of our trip to go!

Me at the famed Sanssouci Castle in Potsdam (near Berlin)


Twirling at Potsdam


One of the millions of castles at Potsdam... this was the prettiest!


Bastei (This is only a SMALL view of the rock formations, which you can't see in this picture)... Germany's version of the grand canyon


Freiberg Church... If you haven't been to Europe (or Germany specifically), you'd be AMAZED at the architecture her! It's so beautiful. One of my favorite things about Germany is hearing the church bells ring. It makes me happy. Speaking of... clock just rang 6am!


Rodelbahn outside of Seiffen... we all had a blast going on it! Some of the kids went three times, although this teacher and I only went once. :)


You wouldn't believe the woodworkings in this town, called Seiffen! Amazing!


Painting our own hand-turned wooden smokers in Sayda (Only place in the world where they use this technique)

So viel zu reden...

There is so much to say and so little time. I'm hoping to write more later about my trip. We're now in our homestay portion of the trip and, let it be known, that I'm typing successfully on a German keyboard. Not to bad, really.

We've been to so many beautiful cities and have seen so much already. It's nice to be in our homestay, though! I feel like I get to use German more. It's also nice to not be in charge of bed checks and caring after our kids with every little problem that arises.

Tomorrow, I meet the mayor of the town with my students and then next week, I meet the mayor over the area. I know, I'm hard core. But, what I'm really looking forward to is going to visit my German relatives this weekend. They are wonderful people who live in the alps in southern Germany. I've visited them every time I've come to Germany. I can't wait!

So, as the Bavarians say... Verti!

I'm in Berlin...

It's amazing how I've only been in Berlin 2 1/2 days, but have already seen and done so much! I'm really enjoying my trip and still have managed to talk with Evan twice a day, despite the time difference. He's been really great about helping out with all the wedding (and apartment shopping!) stuff I'd be doing if I were at home right now.

Here are a list of a few of the sites I've seen while being here:
*Ishtar Gate, The gate entrance to the city of Babylon... amazing!
*Brandenburg Gate (What's with all of the gates?!), This gate was up pre-Berlin Wall times, but became a major divider between East/West Berlin during the 28 years the wall was up.
*Saw the first hole made in the Berlin Wall (in the Potsdamer Platz)
*Toured the Reichstag, the German parliament building. The glass dome on the top is so cool.
*Saw the world time clock & the water time clock
*Shopped at KaDeWe, the second largest shopping center in Europe (Herrod's in London is a little bit bigger)
*Saw Humboldt University, Harvard's European partner school

These are a few highlights from the last few days. The adventures have not been few. I've enjoyed riding the subways in Berlin, which can suddenly come out of the ground to be street cars. I've enjoyed meeting new people and speaking the German language. Although they have had their moments, I'm really proud of my students for finding their way around by themselves and making the most of their trip to Berlin.
On top of the Reichstag


On top of the Sieggessäule (Prussian victory tower)


First hole in the berlin wall!


Das rote Rathaus (the red city hall)


Can't remember the name of this statue... but it's neat and behind it is the Gedächtniskirche (memorial church, bombed during WWII and newer parts reconstructed afterwards)

M.I.A. Part II

Well, friends, the time has come for me to depart the country of my birth and step foot into a foreign land (Germany), which has become a second home to me. I will be gone for 4 weeks and will marry 10 days after my return. So many varying adventures await me in the next 38 days!

Because of this fact, I will most likely not be writing as often as I would like (I'll do my best to post pictures, as I am bringing my computer), nor will I be able to comment on all of the blog posts that I read (a habit of mine... Hey, I like to let you know that I've read what you wrote). I apologize ahead of time!

Meanwhile, I have been keeping up with your writings and life stories. I'm happy to hear that you are all well. Best wishes to you and look for a wedding invite in the near future!

P.S. If you haven't given me your address, but would like an invitation, email me at: sarahisateacher@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do from Germany. :)

Missionary Work

So, this REALLY is a week full of firsts. To add to the list, I got my first hair trim (never had an actual trim before), AND, more importantly, I gave away a Book of Mormon for the first time.


It's interesting to me that I've never given a Book of Mormon to someone before. I speak often of the church in casual conversation to others that I come in contact with: friends, coworkers, people on airplanes, etc. Yet, before yesterday, I had never taken the opportunity to give away a Book of Mormon. It was wonderful.

I have a coworker who is an amazing person. We've had many religious conversations and have even prayed together (when I lost my job). She has such wonderful faith and I've loved our chats about religion and life.

A few weeks ago, she said to me that she's basically Mormon but drinks sometimes and hasn't been baptized. I've been thinking for months now that I wanted to give her a Boof of Mormon, but when she said that, I truly felt like the timing was right. This also happened to coincide with a Relief Society missionary moment. Once a month, they ask a volunteer to give away a Book of Mormon. At the end of the month, the person reports how it went (if at all) and what was learned. I volunteered to give one away this month.

So, I did. I wrote a note to my coworker in the front cover. I prayed about it and was struggling for the best way to write my testimony of a book that has changed my life. After writing a short letter, I ended up writing a P.S. that shared my testimony and promised her that she would draw closer to God as she read the book. She's still talking to me and wants to be my friend, so I think it went well. :) I'm grateful for the experience I had to give away a Book of Mormon, to share my testimony with another person not of my faith. It felt nice.

Die Neuigkeiten

Photo via here

Before being engaged, I could never have fathomed or realized ALL of the new things that happen in preparation for getting married, not to mention a first time trip as a teacher to Germany with 17 student, not to mention moving to a new school to teach a new subject! Some of the things going on range from very simple and easy to the more difficult and drastic. I like lists, so here is a small list of this week's firsts:

1. I had my FIRST EVER brazilian bikini wax in preparation for getting married. It hurt like the dickens, but it sure is amazing. I highly recommened it. Going into the whole situation, I was pretty neverous, but Lisa was so great that by the end of it, I hardly took notice that I was even being waxed! If you live in the Greater Seattle area, look Lisa (aesthetician and owner) up at Beauty Bar.

2. I had my blood drawn for the first time in my life! (It was partially in preparation for taking birth control and partially because I had a sneaky - but false - suspicion that I had an issue with my thyroid.) I was a little worried because of the millions of horror stories I've heard about blood draws, not to mention that the man across from me getting his blood drawn had this CRAZY huge bruise on his arm from his first blood draw. Turns out, my nurse was quick and efficient and the whole thing was fine. Now, after all of these years, I FINALLY know my blood type! I've always wondered.

3. I received my first OFFICIAL "I'm-going-to-the-temple-for-real" temple recommend. Granted, I still have to have the stake president interview after I get back from Germany, but it's still cool to have a REAL temple recommend. No more of those partial use temple recommends for me! I feel so grown up.

4. For the first time, I had an ah-ha moment: It will be hard to be helpless in Germany in the midst of planning a wedding. However, I also am realizing that it's probably for the best that I won't see Evan for 28 days before we get married. It'll make raging hormones that much easier to control. Man, I feel like a teenager again.

So Many Good Things...

*I get married in 47 days (in 1.5 hours it will only be 46 days). Not that I'm counting.
*I leave to German in 8 days and can't wait!
*My beautiful cousin, Michelle, had her 4th child. A beautiful, healthy little girl!
*Evan's sister, Noel Elizabeth, came to visit and take care of his other sister's children while she's recovering from a c-section. I love Evan's sisters (and sister-in-law)!
*Holly, Evan's sister, had a beautiful baby boy via c-section on Friday. He is adorable. Babies are such a miracle and a blessing.
*Yesterday, I found THE SHOES I'm going to be wearing at my wedding. They're gorgeous, sassy, PINK, and comfortable... everything you could want in a Marc Fisher shoe to wear for your most important day!

Yes, this is an eclectic mix of happenings, yet there have been many great things in my life lately! From temple prep. classes to apartment hunting to birth control to new babies in the family to preparing for a month-long Germany trip before my wedding! I feel so blessed to have the family and friend support that has kept me afloat during some of the more stressful days (i.e. last Tuesday). I truly am happy and enjoying this time in my life. Thank you for your thoughts, kind words, and encouragement. More details to come!

Life Comes Down

Life comes down

and sometimes you just have to let it
let it roll around
drip off your hands
out your ears.

Life comes down

scream it out
run it off
let it go.

Life comes down

everyday miracles
turn into stresses
and you fight every urge
to keep from letting them.

Life comes down

cry it out
explain it away
breathe on.

-Sarah Russell, June 9th, 2009

I feel like this poem today; like I'm fighting every urge I have to keep stress from enveloping my body. I'm stressed about if the apartment Evan and I found is good enough. I'm stressed that the prescription of birth control I picked up today will make me gain weight and cry a lot. I'm stressed that in 2 weeks when I'm in Germany, I won't remember all that I've known for the past 13 years. Through all of this, though, I am fighting to stay grounded, to keep from letting the stress overwhelm my being and send me into irreversible tears. Deep breaths, relaxing thoughts, and a lot of prayer seems to do the trick. But, don't be surprised if I start crying at random!

Dollars & Sense

Tonight Evan and I went over our finances for next year. We created a budget solely based on my income, as Evan will be going to school full-time and may or may not be able to work.

WOW! I cannot believe how tight our budget will be! If we pay off Evan's school as we go, we will hardly be able to save, pay off my student loans, and pay off my car in a timely manner. We had to take some things out of our budget altogether (e.g. eating out and entertainment) and cut down spending on groceries to $100 in order to put 10% of my income into savings. We both our fairly frugal people, but two people living off of ONE teacher's salary will definitely be tough.

I now see how easy it is for people to go into debt when it is so difficult to live within your means. It means cutting out any extra spending and saving as much as you can. For some people, that can be incredibly difficult. I also see why nowadays there are so many working mothers and fathers in the world! In some situations, two incomes in today's society can be the only way to get the bills paid.

Overall, I see that creating a married budget is so different than creating a budget for a single person. I'm grateful that Evan and I were able to laugh at this experience and humble ourselves to realize that it won't be easy, but Heavenly Father will bless us as we continue to pay our tithing and work hard to make and achieve wise financial goals.

(NOTE: I know how to spell "cents." The above title is a play on words.)